Disturbia
by PixieKindOfCrazy
Summary: "You did this to me!" Caroline didn't realize until later that her angered words were accurate; he pushed her to this on purpose. She's broken and she doesn't care. "Losing your concious isn't as scary as you'd think; it's more freeing, actually." Klaus likes Bad Caroline. Rated M for sexual situations and dark themes.
1. Spitfire

**An: **_This is so stupid of me, but I've started another project to add to all my others. But random inspiration struck. I decided to try my hand at some dark Klaroline. Warning, M rated content and dark themes. Sorry if it offends you. If anyone wants me to continue this as a multi-chapter story, review and give me some ideas. PS-This is my first M so I apologize if it's not up to par yet. But Klaroline deserves to be my first. _

**Disclaimer: **_No, I do not own them. _

"_Disturbia! It's like the darkness is the light. Disturbia! Am I scaring you tonight?"_

Caroline's POV

"You did this to me!" I shouted, staring down at my shaking blood-covered hands. I couldn't make myself stop shuddering.

I felt my arms move almost involuntarily, instinctually covering myself. As I felt my fingers wrap around my arm and I almost jumped at how cold they were. I was used to being cold-skinned-I was a vampire-but this was different. This was like I didn't recognize the feel of my own skin.

I stared into his face, wanting desperately to turn my gaze from him and run away, but I couldn't stop looking at him, my eyes still wide. I wasn't sure if I was angry or terrified. Mostly, I felt a terrible, crushing sense of guilt and sorrow. Not guilt at killing the man, at killing more than one of them, but guilt for not being bothered by the monstrosities I'd just committed.

I felt my breathing become harder; it felt like I was trying to breathe with water in my lungs, drowning. His reaction was exactly what I expected, but the opposite of what I'd hoped. His eyes lit with dark satisfaction. A smirk slowly pulling up at the side of his lips and his eyes swirling midnight blue, a spark that simultaneously excited me and scared me lighting them up.

"Debatable," Klaus breathed, his breathing accelerating like mine, looking like he was sickly satisfied, "How do you feel, love?"

I blinked. For a few seconds, I forgot how to breathe. I considering just finding a piece of wood off the floor and staking myself, if only so I wouldn't become this monster I was starting to feel develop in me. After what felt like thirty minutes, but I somehow knew was only two and a half seconds, I took a deep breath and felt the residual burn race up my throat from the still-present smell of blood in this abandoned warehouse.

"I…don't."

His face split in a grin, his dimples showing. I'd never seen dimples look that…impure. I was frightened that he automatically knew what I meant. It made me think that he was doing this on purpose. A few minutes ago when I'd accused him, it'd been more to vent the emotions I couldn't understand. Now I was starting to suspect I'd been right.

"Good girl," he was practically purring as he walked towards me, closing the distance between us and before I could even step back, he'd grabbed me. I pulled him to me by his hair, the urge to claim him or punish him for this somehow overtaking me like I'd never felt before. He groaned into my mouth and the vibrations ran down me, raising goosebumps on my sides as he squeezed my hips, pulling mine to his, practically throwing me against him. Normally, when I did something unwise, there'd be this little voice in my head telling me to stop, but it was gone, my head was quiet for once. I wasn't happy at all, but I was thrilled. It made no sense. This was wrong. But I loved it and I somehow loved it more because it was completely wrong. I just didn't care. And it was freeing. I clung onto that mental-silence, physical thrills shooting through me. I wanted to hit him, slap him, stake him, but I had just as much desire to kiss him, throw him against something and just take him. I felt like it wasn't me doing this, out-of-body, but at the same time, I'd never felt more into the moment.

I growled as I raised my arms to his neck, violently scratching my nails down his neck and feeling my pupils dilate as I watched the stark contrast of scarlet liquid run down his pale skin. So beautiful, so sick and extreme.

He pulled back from me a centimeter, his arms never loosening, as his hot breath panned over my face, his eyes burning, "Excellent, Caroline. I'm glad I chose you."

"Chose me?" I hissed, then shook my head, "You know what? I don't want you to answer that right now. Just shut the hell up and fuck me."

His eyes widened in the slightest, obviously not expecting that from me, "Spitfire. I like it," his eyes twinkled evilly a millisecond before he leaned down and recaptured my lips. He growled at him, the sound like a pissed off animal, as I shoved his head away, forcing him to arch his neck as I kissed down it, licking off his blood from his skin. A vague memory played through my head of that night on my birthday when he'd saved my life. The memory was cracked and shifting around in my head, like my mind was trying to reject it, fighting with the opposing images of the scene before me and the one of the only sweet moments I'd ever shared with him. I shook my head at it, dispelling the warped pictures from my mind as I felt the veins around my eyes protrude and my fangs extend. He groaned and placed a hand at the back of my neck. I could feel he was trying to be gentle, but his nails were starting to dig into my skin. He couldn't hold back. And I liked it. For over a year, he'd tormented everyone and everything I cared about; he'd always been the master, Mr. Control. And now, for once, I held the power to affect this almighty Original, probably the most powerful being alive. That thought and a hundred others raced through my mind as I breathed the feeling in, exhilarating and horrible, but wonderful. For now at least, he plays by my rules.

With that decision in mind, I scraped my teeth over his skin, taunting him for what I was about to do without waiting long enough to let him stop me, before I sunk my teeth into his neck and immediately moaned at the taste. I'd forgotten how euphoric he tasted, better than a live human. His blood raced over my tongue and down my throat, tingling as I relished the tang.

"Caroline," he bit out, his grip switching to my arm, becoming painfully tight and instead of hating the pain,I understood that he was doing it involuntarily because he couldn't control his strength. The thought aroused me more as I pulled back, running my tongue over my top lip to savor any remnants of the blood, the strength I'd stolen from him. Usually, purposely weakening someone, forcing my will over their own, would make me feel sick, but I was numb.

"Mmm," I hummed, staring him down and waiting for him to say something.

I noted with gross satisfaction that it took him a few seconds to open his eyes and look down at me, he took a deep breath, like he actually needed it, "If you're expecting me to verbalize elegantly after that, you are tragically mistaken."

I rolled my eyes acidly, "You just did, jackass."

He paused, realizing, then he smirked, "Yes, I did."

I fumed, "The more you talk, the more I want to break your neck."

"You won't," the confidence in his eyes made me fume as he spoke slowly, "Right now, you want me just a tad more than you hate me."

My eyes narrowed to slits, like a blue gas flame shooting towards him, "As much as I feel the urge to scratch your face off, you're right," I titled my head to the side, trying briefly to reflect on how I felt about that. But all I could feel was rage and lust, like I was subconsciously blocking everything else without realizing it.

He threw his head back, laughing almost manically, before he reached out and picked me up by my thighs, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist. I could feel him hard against my thigh as he groaned deep in his throat at the feeling, his face changing to show what he really was.

This feeling was burning me, scorching my mind and my heart, but it was also scintillating in my veins. I could stop if I wanted to, I wasn't out of control, but I didn't want to.

I could feel his eyes on the back of my head as I sucked on his neck, trailing little nips down his skin, "Don't look at me," I hissed. I didn't want to connect with him, I wanted to own him, if only for an hour.

He made a rumbling sound in his throat as he grabbed my hair and jerked my head so I was looking up at him, holding me by one arm. _So hybrid strength wasn't exaggerated…_the thought fell through my mind like a dark trickling stream before I blinked and saw him staring into my eyes, no compassion and no anger, just intensity and will, "I will watch you if I please, Caroline. And you won't stop, because you don't want to. I don't necessarily want to compel you, but that doesn't mean I won't."

Why was he warning me ahead of time? That wasn't like him. A minute later, he spun me around and rammed me into the wall, the silk material of my shirt tearing as the bricks scratched against my back, probably leaving marks. I understood somehow that he made the marks on purpose. He was feeling possessive too. His lips went right back to mine, leaning his head into it as he used both hands to pull my thighs tighter around him.

I displayed my urge for rebellion by grinding down against him, smirking when I felt him become impossibly harder.

The sound he made was equal parts euphoric and agonized, "Fuck you," he growled through his teeth.

I felt my eyes gleam wickedly under the flickering lights above us as I muttered silkily and heated, "Please."

My plead was actually a challenge, tinged with a tone of threat, and I could see in his eyes that he recognized that, and liked it. For the briefest fraction of a second, while staring at his face, I suddenly realized what I was doing and jolted in his arms, extremely close to jumping out of his grip and running away, never looking back. But he smirked a second later, and I'm not sure if he damned me or saved me at that moment. I had no idea and I didn't understand, but I felt free. Losing your conscience is not as scary as you'd expect, more like numb relief.

I let go of his shoulders as he pushed himself back up on me, moaning as he didn't even catch me. I fell backwards, my back arching, but my legs and my vampire strength keeping me from slipping off him. He immediately took advantage of my position, leaning forward to place a hand on my shirt between my breasts, fingering the lace in a contradictory gentle and musing way before his hand clenched around the material and yanked, the shirt ripping down the middle. He threw the shreds behind him as he tilted his head down, kissing between my breasts, letting his tongue come out to lick over my skin.

"Agh," I gasped, clawing his shoulders and ripping off his shirt as pleasure raced down my skin and heat pooled in my stomach. My core was aching as he made his way over to my bra, running his fingers under it up to my nipples, rubbing his thumbs over me. My back arched to the point it would've hurt if I was human, "Please, Niklaus."

I had no idea why I used that name; maybe it was just easier to breath out, at this point, I didn't care. But he seemed to. His eyes caught mine and the aroused shimmer intensified as anger joined the emotion in his eyes, "Don't call me that. Please, what? What do you want, sweet Caroline?"

The endearment was mocking, purposely ironic as his eyes raked down my topless form, trying to burn marks in my skin to show the world that he'd touched me, "I want to kill you and have sex with you," I tried desperately to catch my breath, "At the same damn time."

He laughed, chuckling to himself, probably not caring if he offended me, "You have no idea how many women have felt that way about me. But you're the only one who's ever said it to my face."

"What kind of sick man enjoys that?" I scowled at him.

"The powerful kind. I may be twisted, Caroline," he whispered, leaning down in my face, licking my bottom lip and smirking at me with just his eyes when I bit his lip and wouldn't let go. He tore it from my grip, making it bleed, the taste dripping into my mouth, "But you want me. Which is worse-the wicked or the ones who desire them?" he tilted his head inquisitively, pretending to consider the question.

He had a way of forcing me to think about dangerous things while simultaneously making me forget who I was, making me feel nothing and everything, numb, but with live-wires under my skin. It made no fucking sense and I was thriving off of it.

I glared at him, "Just stop talking," I sighed, wanting to feel that power again that he exuded, that seemed to sink into my skin, infecting me and strengthening me. My walls were falling down, crumbling, and being built up and armored. I was a walking contradiction.

"Please," he scoffed, "I dare you to be quiet during this."

I hissed at him as I unbuttoned his pants, and eyed him for a fraction of a second, taking in the very slight surprise and abundant euphoria in his reaction with my lightning-fast vampire mind, before I slipped my hands under the band of his black boxer briefs, gripping him firmly in my hand and tilting my head at him in challenge. His eyes glowed sizzling at me, before his head dropped back with a thud against the bricks behind him, an extremely too attractive, deep sound being torn from his lips. His breath was shaky as he looked back at me, "Brave, dear, but not wise-I tend to become vengeful in bed."

She raised an eyebrow, her expression flat and unamused, "We're not any wear near a bed. And you are _not _making love to me. _I _am fucking _you._"

He paused, genuinely blinking in contemplation as a misplaced thoughtful look crossed his face, "Perhaps someday."

His comment ticked me off, so I stroked my hand down, running my thumb over the tip, using my nails slightly.

He swayed forward as he choked on air, not being able to hold back his reaction. He moaned, but only slightly, trying to not show how much I was affecting him. Even if this man is losing, he would never show it. His hand shot down to my wrist like a steel trap and he pulled my hand away from him, fracturing a tiny bone in my wrist. I acknowledge it, I knew it had broken, but I didn't feel it.

"Stop it or you won't get your turn, Sweetheart."

I leered at his seductive words, "Who said I wanted to have a turn? Maybe I just want to torture you."

"Your body gives you away, Caroline," he murmured as he leaned down to my neck, letting his breath swirl around on my skin as he reached down and ran a finger lightly over my core through my skinny jeans, "I think these need to come off now."

Sizzling fingers of electricity shot up through me, reverberating where his fingers rubbed teasingly. I moaned, my head briefly falling onto his shoulder, before I regained composure and glared at him, "No foreplay. Take off your pants," a moment after my order had left my mouth, I'd taken off my own jeans, the buttoning being torn off accidentally in the process.

He smirked and raised an eyebrow as he let his eyes drop down lazily at my naked form, "As appealing as you look right now, love, I don't do commands."

"You will if you're going to do me."

He laughed, "I'll give in just this once. Only because I like your fire. It…gets to me," he admitted, his eyes sparking, doing that thing where he smirked without smiling again.

I eyed him appreciatively as he bent slightly too remove his own pants, "I can see that," I eyed the bulge in his boxer-briefs and a moment later he flicked his eyes up to me, grinning wickedly at me, dimpling his cheeks at me, "Oh, you're fun."

I rolled my eyes, "'Fun' won't be the word you used when I'm done. And what makes you think this will happen more than once?"

His face became completely serious, contemplating me again, "The fact that you didn't look scared when I kidnapped you and you killed _four _of those construction workers without pausing. If you were going to regret it or run, you would've done so after the first killing. You did not," he raised his eyebrows at her, daring her to say he was wrong.

"You're right," I purred, my eyes glinting, "I don't regret it. Don't know why. Wished I did feel guilty at first, but I don't really care anymore. Strange, but I liked it. The intensity, the power. I loved it and hated it. And you suspected I would, didn't you?"

His eyes sparked, "It's always the bubbly ones that make the sexiest killers."

"Violence turns you on?" My voice wasn't disgusted or confused, I merely sounded annoyed, disdainful. But I knew he could see through it; I was excited.

He simply nodded, "Like you said, love; it's the power it brings."

"Ah," I clicked my tongue, getting it, "It's the control that turns you on. That's why I want to own you right now," I mused darkly and watched as he tore off his underwear.

He glared at me, "Don't turn this around on me, darling. It won't work," he warned, flatly and confident, his tone strong as he stalked over to me where I was standing with my weight on one hip, somehow completely at ease with standing naked in front of him. I realized that I didn't feel exposed because I was only physically naked and I didn't care if he approved of my appearance. He couldn't see my mind and that was all that mattered to me at the moment.

He encircled my waist in his arms, pulling me flat against him, knowing the feel of his hard, lean muscles and soft skin against my stomach would get a rise out of me. It was getting a rise out of him. I smirked as I felt it, then felt my breath get caught in my throat when his nipples brushed mine, sending sparks down, burning my core. I repressed a whimper at the growing ache in me. His face was smug and I knew then that he did it on purpose.

I clenched my jaw in restraint, anger and lust running through my veins, fueling me as I pushed _him_ back against the wall. And from the hissing intake of breath he emitted, I knew I'd scratched his back. He may even be bleeding. I sniffed. Yes, he was. I leaned up on my tiptoes to draw his lips to mine and he closed the inch between our mouths, I bit his lip to reopen the cut I'd made before and sucked some of the sweet metallic liquid into my mouth. He closed his eyes and sighed, letting himself enjoy the sensations now, knowing our fight for control was useless and neither of us would ever win.

However, a minute later, after a few moans from both of us, he flipped me around and my legs were around his waist again. He looked at me for only a second, his only warning was the increased blaze in his eyes, before he thrust up into me, pushing me into the wall.

"Klaus!" I screamed, knowing he would pull out and hold out on me if I called him by the name his father gave him again.

The moment he entered me, he groaned, long and deep, his eyes fighting to stay open. But after a moment of fighting himself, his eyes went wide open again, staring into mine, "Don't look away from my eyes, Caroline. I am going to watch you as I make you fall apart."

I couldn't respond; I wanted to push him away, I felt too full, but I knew I'd whimper if he stopped. It was like when you were a kid when you would keep eating food that was still too hot, even after it burned your tongue, because it just tasted too good to stop.

All I could do was moan, screaming words I didn't give permission to leave my mouth, "God, don't stop," I gasped out.

He pulled back, almost all the way out of me before he slammed roughly back in, the friction burning me inside. He choked on the sensation as he stared into my eyes, "Bloody h-hell," he breathed against my neck. I didn't even register the fact that I'd just made the Original Hybrid stutter.

It was too good. I'd never felt anything like this. I felt as if I didn't scream, I'd combust; I had to get out the agonizingly orgasmic sensations in some way.

"Oh!" I shouted as he flipped me away from the wall and in a second we were on the ground and I didn't care how we got there because he was letting me be on top. This angle drove him deeper into me and I could feel him in me to the hilt. I rocked on him, circling my hips, and his nails dug into my waist as his neck arched back, the veins showing in his neck and around his eyes as he stared at me still. He had yet to close his eyes again.

"Holy…Caroline," he spoke on a sigh and I wasn't foolish enough to think he was being tender. I knew neither of us had any reason behind our reactions right now-no logic, no thoughts besides _Oh God, yes._

I echoed the sounds he made my sighs and moans mingled with his groans and shouts. It grew so loud that it reminded me of the sounds of the dying men I'd killed earlier. It was a horrific symphony, beautiful and disastrous.

But I could feel it rising, building in the both of us, mixing until we both thought we were going to lose our minds. I couldn't take it. I almost wanted it to stop, but at the same time, I wanted to draw it out as long as I could. Unlike any other time I'd ever had, I didn't feel affection or love run through me, but hate and begrudging respect, overrode my the electricity we were creating. It wasn't warm by any means, but a connection was forming between us. Because we both viewed this the same way, we were both smart and angry, we were beautiful in the day and monsters at night. We liked going at each other, thrived off it, but I enjoyed beating at him almost as much. I was repelled and attracted. But I couldn't think at all anymore as the swell of pleasure was rising. Higher and higher and higher and Klaus was shouting, loud and incoherent. I made shameful, incomprehendable screams as I joined him in the high, and I'd never enjoyed anything more.

"CAROLINE!" He sounded exhilarated and he was staring straight into me.

I returned him with equal vigor, my voice sounding dark, "Fuck, Klaus!" I wanted to say 'fuck you!' but I knew he'd point out how ironic it was.

I dropped down onto the concrete beside him, and I felt a nail under my back, but I couldn't move. My limbs were jelly and I didn't want to look at him.

"I don't think I've ever been that loud," he chuckled at himself.

I turned my head slightly to glare at him through hooded eyes, "I think I hate you."

He didn't even look at me, "Like I said-spitfire."

**An: **_Hmm, hate sex, weird to write, but I enjoyed the physiological part of it. People underestimate how intelligent Caroline can be._


	2. Rewind

**A/n: **_So I just finished this chapter in the car at 11:36 on the way back home from moving my brother into college. Give me reviews to cheer me up from the sadness of both my bros having moved out. I'm becoming addicted to Klaus' POV although it's damn hard to do. I decided to continue this because you guys said you'd enjoy some more chapters. I'm slowly realizing how much I enjoy the freedom of the M rating, because I can have them think or say things that wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the neighborhood of T. Sad announcement: I've started back school, hoot and holler for me being an upperclassmen now. Tear for me not having as much time at all to write obsessively. I promise I'll try to keep updating though, but don't abandon the story if there's not a review for a couple weeks. I have not abandoned any of them. _

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own it and I'm getting car sick from watching the letters in a moving car…woah. _

Klaus' POV

Perhaps I should start by saying that I didn't plan any of this; the thought that I would be here right now never crossed my mind when I first saw her. She was wrong. I know she assumed that my trying to win her over was all part of another one of my schemes. But the only part of my plan she was ever meant to be used for was the sacrifice, and now I admit that I am grateful I didn't kill this girl; she had a certain…spirit that I was surprised to find I very much enjoyed.

"I'm not dead."

My statement hung in the air, reverberating too loudly in the stilted quiet, as she stared at me with amusingly wide eyes. She blinked exactly three times before, I'm assuming, her brain restarted. Caroline's eyes narrowed to slits as she glared at me, the powder blue burning brighter instead of darker. Strange.

"You-you were desiccated! Stefan _told_ me! And-and then Damon saw your burn!"

I let the side of my mouth lift up in its usual smirk, "You can't believe everything you hear, Caroline."

I wondered if she would've rolled her eyes at the triteness of that expression if the situation had been less shocking for her. I decided she would have.

She took a step towards me from her doorway, her steps seeming accusatory for some bizarre reason. I dismissed the out of place thought as her frustration and anger seemed to blow over- she hit me, she rammed her arm into my chest, glaring at me the whole time, "How the hell did you live?"

Her hiss triggered some coil in the back of my mind that was controlling my temper. My eyes changed to glare back at her, something burning in my chest, "Don't look so pleased about it, love."

"Don't _call _me that!"

I took a step towards her, and then stepped back, not trusting myself to not hurt her, "Call you what, love?"

Both of us knew the question was so obvious it was rhetorical; it was a plot to upset her and it worked.

"I wish you'd never been invited into my house," she spat.

I raised an eyebrow at her immediately, silently asking if she knew what that would mean, "If I hadn't been invited, you would've died…Do you want that? I'd hate to kill you…"

Her eyes were razors as she tried to cut me, assisting in her attempt by sharpening her words, "If it meant that I wouldn't have to deal with a world where you're wreaking havoc, then _yes_."

I smirked at her as I backed up, putting my hands up in mock surrender, "Alright, you win," I tilted my head to examine her face better, to scan for any sign of fear, but all that shown through was her anger, "But I must say, that hurt me, Caroline."

Her mouth was a straight, unamused line as she rolled her eyes, "You're so full of bullshit, your eyes are brown. Do you even know _how _to be genuine with something or give a straight answer?"

"I know how to do many things that I simply chose not to. Capability has never been my problem," I eyed her as I walked around her to lean against her doorframe. She whirled around, her eyes following me, suspicious and careful.

"How did your survive?" She bit out the words like they tasted bitter.

I decided it couldn't hurt anything if she knew, so I told her, maybe just so she'd stop looking at me with those eyes. They were making me furious, and what was making me even more insane was that I didn't know quite why I was so irritated, "I invaded my siblings dreams and it seems that one of them finally decided to end my pestering by compelling one of my living hybrids to bring bloodbags to my coffin. Nasty way to feed, by the way, I don't understand why you do it."

"But you burned," those eyes were still looking at me the same way, with caution and anger. It boiled my blood.

"Did you actually see it happen, Sweetheart?"

"No…" she looked stunned as I stepped towards her.

"Someone put out the flames before they did too much damage. And you know vampires heal quickly. Hybrids heal even quicker."

"Someone?" She raised an eyebrow at me and it pulled a chuckle out of my throat.

"I don't know, love, but whoever it was, if they ever do something to infuriate me in the futre, now I'll won't kill them quite as painfully."

"You're demented."

"You're attractive."

She gaped at me, managing to keep the glare in her eyes, "What?!"

I feigned incomprehension, "I'm sorry, I thought we were stating the obvious?"

She gritted her teeth and reminded me of angry kitten. Amusing thought.

"What the hell are you coming to me for then? If you're alive, then why don't you just leave?"

I simply smirked at her, waiting for my expression to irritate her. I thoroughly enjoyed riling this girl up.

"Wait…it's Elena isn't it? You just want to make more hybrids! Even after you almost _die_, that's all you can think about? Well, I've got news for you, buddy-you will not touch my best friend e_ver_ again! You saved me, making me think for one _second _that you weren't totally an evil bastard, but then you immediately went and kidnapped and drained my best friend. Tell me, Klaus, just answer this one question and then get out of my house, but if you 'fancied' me so much, how the hell could you think that almost killing someone I love again would help your case in any way?"

I could feel something starting to heat up in my blood the longer we argued and I felt my hands balling into fists, my nails drawing blood from digging into my palms. This girl _infuriated _me. I wanted to slap her across the face. I wanted her to listen to me, bend to my will, but I could see she never would. I also noticed with irritation at the thrill that the longer she shouted in my face, the harder I was getting, my blood raced southwards and rushed in my ears, drowning out reason. I tended to ignore societal rules anyway, but this was inconvenient at the time. I cursed to myself as I started debating whether or not to just compel her now. At least she'd shut up then.

"Did you ever think that maybe I never cared?"

"If you didn't care, you would've killed me after I threw the bracelet back at you."

I sneered at her, "But killing something so beautiful would just be a waste, love."

My deflection seemed to be effective in distracting her, or enraging her, which had the same end result anyway.

"That's it!" she annunciated, putting her hands palm up, "What do you want from me?"

I looked at her hard for a long time, trying to make my true intentions sink in, "I want to own you, Caroline. And I always have my way."

The world paused as her expression turned deadly and the veins around her eyes showed, visible and beautiful, and in that moment I wasn't sure I'd ever seen anything more stunning than the creature before me. Her eyes lit like torches in black night and her breathing was increasing, her chest heaving distractingly, and her eyebrows drew in. She took the final steps towards me and I had the insane urge to hold my breath.

"You," she enunciated, poking me in the chest like she was praying it might actually hurt, "will _never_ own me," she paused long enough to make sure I was looking in her eyes before she committed the final blow, "_I hate you._"

Her words were not yelled our shouted or even accompanied by any physically threatening actions, but I hadn't heard anything so sound lethal for a long time. For the briefest second in history, I couldn't repress an emotion, and it's disgustingly ironic that it was the one emotion I'd always hated most-hurt. But then I blinked. The moment of insanity passed before I clenched my jaw against the anger threatening to take me over.

"I see we're going to have to do this the hard way then."

Her eyebrows shot straight up, the anger completely vanishing for a second as confusion took its place, but then anger settled back, becoming stronger, fueled by the frustration of her own puzzlement. It was slowly becoming less of a mystery to me why I found this woman so interesting.

She didn't flinch as I grabbed her arm (brave), but she stubbornly jerked and writhed away to attempt to break my hold (braver).

"Let _go _of me!"

"You're being kidnapped and that's the best you can come up with? I must admit I expected more. From you, at least," I scoffed at my thoughts. Ridiculous.

"_Kidnapped?_" she screeched, her eyes burning wholes into my forehead as I shoved her out the door, taking her down the stairs, "You're kidnapping me?"

I paused and stared at her, wondering if she needed psychiatric help for a brief second before it became a solid fact in my mind that she _did_, "I would've thought that'd be rather self-evident, love."

"But you didn't even have the decency to _inform _me that that's what you're doing?"

"Decency?" The very concept makes me laugh, "Caroline, when will you realize that a _decent vampire_ is a glaring oxymoron?"

She set her jaw and looked up at me with stubborn eyes as we left her house, my hand still wrapped around her upper arm, "I refuse to believe that."

Her words caused a wicked smirk to grace my face, "That's alright; I like a challenge."

She dug her heels into the ground as I pulled her to my car, "What's that supposed to mean?" She spat and as soon as I looked away from her for a second she threw the arm I wasn't holding up into my face, elbowing my neck, probably as hard as she could judging from the look of fury and effort on her face. There wasn't much pain, but her blow did knock the breath out of my throat, making me cough harshly.

As soon as her started falling back down naturally to her side, I grabbed it and tightened my hold on both of her arms, pulling her flush against me and glaring down at her as I bit back the fury bubbling in my chest, obscuring reason, "You're gonna have to hit harder than that to hurt me, Sweetheart," as I spoke, I rubbed the slight sore spot on my jaw with one of my hands, using my other to encircle both her wrists.

"I knew it wouldn't hurt you much," she drawled, "But I was hoping it might sting a little. At least it got my feelings across."

I chuckled darkly, "Oh, Caroline, all of that's about to change."

"What the _hell _do you mean with all these cryptic statements?"

My eyes lit up with morose anticipation, smirking at her smugly, "You'll see."

Caroline's POV

"If you have me here now, what the fuck is it you plan to do with me? If you're going to kill me, I'd really like to know," I stared across at him from the passenger seat as he drove at treacherously high speeds down the mostly vacant highway.

"Anything I wish."

I felt my insides curl in fury and frustration, and admittedly, fear. My mind immediately leaped to what, to me, would be the worst possibility, "Does that mean you're going to rape me?"

His head jerked towards me suddenly and the car started swerving to the right, and I realized that he'd accidently jerked the wheel when I caused him to break his focus. I'd never seen that happen to him and it was almost more frightening than the blistering look he was currently giving me. His eyebrows were high and his eyes were shocked, but also highly offended, like he found the idea disgusting, "You certainly are random, I'll give you that."

I felt indignation flare up inside me as he dismissed my question like I was an errant child. God, I hated him.

"It's a damn valid question! Answer me!"

My shout seemed all together too loud inside the car, but he kept his eyes straight ahead and his only reaction was to arch one eyebrow slightly, "I'll excuse you for your assumptions on the simple count that you don't actually know me as well as you currently think you do, but I assure you, Caroline, when I want you to, you will have sex with me. And before your insolent little mouth can ask it-no, I won't need compulsion or even sheer force, it will be you who initiates."

I snorted at him, my frown still in place as I dejectedly stared out my window, knowing I couldn't try to get away until the car stopped, "What makes you so damn arrogant?" My words were a miserable resignation, muttered just to distract myself from the situation I was in.

"It's not arrogance, love; it's experience. When something happens enough times, you learn how to see it coming."

"See _what?"_

He sighed and shook his head, seemingly growing irritated with me again, which happens every five minutes.

"If you haven't noticed it in yourself yet, then you certainly wouldn't listen to me if I said it."

I sat myself up, back against the seat as I turned to him with a challenging look, "Do those vaguely cryptic lines really work for you?"

This time he actually turned to me, a real smirk somehow making its way onto his face, "Usually."

"Usually?" I raised an eyebrow, "You mean you don't _always_ get your way?"

His eyes darkened, and I couldn't tell if it was from anger or some twisted form of amusement, "The cryptic and the vague only work on those who would rather forget their confusion than seek out an answer. Most people fall into the first pathetic category, but there are those who can actually open their eyes occasionally."

I scowled without realizing it, put off and actually strangely saddened by his cynicism, "You really see the world like that? See humanity that way?"

He snorted, rolling his eyes, "Humanity. Love, I don't know if you're spectacularly optimistic or just plain naïve, but most humans don't even have humanity."

I swallowed tightly, the car suddenly feeling smaller, realizing the situation I was in again. For a minute, I'd made the mistake of trying for a genuine conversation with this monster.

"Oh, stop looking at me like that, love; you've known who I was for months now, don't feign regret or surprise."

My face fell to a frown, feeling my eyes losing their lightness quickly, "You still haven't told me why the hell you chose to kidnap me?"

"And you still don't appear to be scared."

My mouth dropped slightly, suddenly realizing he was right and I didn't even think of it. I should be terrified. I should be scared out of my mind. This was the most dangerous, evil creature to ever live…well, most likely. I haven't actually checked the history books, but…I didn't really feel fear, just anger, so much anger at what he'd done to my home. And confusion. What was he doing with me?

"The anger is blocking the fear, thank you very much," I snapped, "Now, stop giving vague half-answers. Why. Did. You. take. Me?" I carefully enunciated, like you would explain to a confused child.

His eyes switched from the road to me, the blue looking like storms, "Because you irritate me."

"Uh," I half-scoffed/ half-laughed in angry bewilderment, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

His eyes were acid, searing me and I suddenly felt too hot, and ashamed for feeling it, "Caroline, how many people do you think have been able to truly get under my skin in the last thousand years?"

I blinked, not sure what his point was, "Um…everyone? Not to poke the beast, but you've sort of got an anger issue."

I would've cursed myself for angering an Original, but I was still distracted by the anger and hate running through my veins.

His eyes cut into me, narrowing in intense annoyance, "None. Well, maybe one or two. But both when I was still human."

My brows furrowed, "What does that have to do with kidnapping, Klaus? Why would you even want to be around me if I annoy you so much?" I sneered.

"Good question," he growled, "I don't understand either. But I've lived long enough to know that when something can shake you, you don't let that something run free."

"So…this is insurance?"

He rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"Good," I hissed, "Because I don't. And don't really want to. Just let me go!"

He looked straight into my eyes and didn't flinch as he spoke, "No," His voice was like steel and I knew I had no hope of escaping if I didn't think of something soon. It scared me that that fact didn't scare me; it only made me angrier. His prescience was infecting me with something dark and fiery and getting harder to hold in.

"If you're going to keep me here, wouldn't it be easier to compel me than control me by force?"

"Yes, it would," he bit out.

"Then why haven't you?!"

"Do you want me to?"

"For fucks sake, stop avoiding questions!"

He sighed, growling slightly, "I like when you fight me. If I compelled you, you wouldn't."

"What?" I shook my head in confusion, distressed slightly. But the only 'slightly' part in itself was strange.

"Call me sadistic. I've never enjoyed the struggle in this way, and without even killing or hurting you…" he mused, tilting his head and staring at me with the lights outside the car windows reflecting off his blue as the sun outside continued setting.

I felt hesitant, truly scared for the first time since he forced me out of my house, "Enjoy in what way?"

I'd never asked a question that I'd been quite so afraid of the answer for before…

His indifferent expression changed drastically, his lips lifting in a twisted smirk, his eyes glinting and his dimples showing, "You haven't noticed, love?"

I was perfectly aware of what he was talking about, I'd noticed about three minutes ago, but I still forced my eyes away when I answered, "Noticed what?"

His only answer was to flick his eyes down to his lap and back up, indicating for me to look. I didn't. I'd already seen the bulge in his jeans.

Klaus' POV

"What are we doing here?"

Her voice sliced through the cold, vacant air and she pulled her jacket closer around her. I rolled my eyes; vampires couldn't feel the cold, but she stubbornly held on to human habits. It was one of the things that drove me mad about her.

I looked around the parking lot of the abandoned warehouse and breathed in deeply through my nose. I liked the smell of cold air. And the freedom of being completely unobserved.

"Nothing to be scared of, love. I haven't brought you here to kill you."

She glared at me as I most likely voiced what she'd been thinking. She watched way too many of those trite teen movies that this century churned out by the dozen. Really? If I was going to kill her, it would've been done way more creatively than that.

"I've brought so friends with me, Caroline."

She blinked at me, like she often did when she was confused, and looked around for the presence of others that I'd implied.

"You all can come out now," I called as we walked into the warehouse.

Four men in construction worker uniforms appeared out of the shadows, out from behind the ruined old desks and furniture. This used to be a storage room. Until I bought it and killed its owners.

"What, who are they?"

Her question was clearly an accusation aimed at me and I expected it, so I wasn't angry. I fed off of things like this.

"Some men I'd found on the side of the road on the way to your house. Let's just say I er…persuaded them to volunteer themselves. You could say they felt compelled to help."

I smirked, not above taking amusement from my own jokes.

"Volunteer for what?" Her eyes were probing me for my intentions and I could see traces of fear leaking into her powder blue eyes, mixing with her hatred of me. I scowled in my mind when I noted that I didn't enjoy her fear like I took pleasure out of most other people's. The thought confused me and confusion makes me angry.

"Answer me!" Her eyes switched back towards fury and yes, I felt that strange rush of pleasure surge through me again, unsettling and thrilling. This woman set me off my feet a bit, and however foolish it was, I was seeking that feeling out, like a disgusting addict.

I flashed my eyes at her once before I turned towards the men and looked into their eyes, my pupils dilating as my power overtook all of them simultaneously, "Grab that knife off the desk there and cut your wrists than cut your friends'."

"No!" Caroline shouted, retreating back from me, from all of us as her eyes flickered around.

I grinned, "Come now, Sweetheart, don't insult them-how do you know you don't want them if you don't even taste?"

Her head perked up, inhaling involuntarily as she saw the men slit their skin and spill their own blood, the smell permeating the air. Their scent wasn't affecting me. A millennium gives you a lot of time to learn self-control. This was not about me. This was for Caroline, breaking her of those useless human tendencies. She was beautiful and the first being to get to me in centuries and I wanted to see how gorgeous she'd be when she broke, came apart.

I felt myself leering as her face changed, veins protruding from her porcelain cheeks and her blue eyes spilling with red.

She clenched her teeth and jaw against the urge, shaking her head in physical refusal, "B-bastard!" she cried, barely got it out as she felt herself being pulled towards the bleeding, empty-eyed men.

I nodded, "Yes," I chuckled, "Stating the obvious again, darling?"  
Her head thrashed towards me, looking straight in my face, she sped towards me, right in front of me.

"_Why are you doing this to me?!" _

It was a complete hiss, a wholly animalistic sound as she struck out, trying to slap my face.

I caught her wrist before it made contact with my cheek, her skin touching mine causing a current to run through me and I growled at her as I felt the ache of it pulsing in my groin.

"Because the world you're living in does not e_xists_," I hissed at her, shaking her until she looked in my eyes, "Caroline," I breathed, my eyes dilating again, "Listen to me. _From this point forward, whatever desire you feel, you will act on. You will do whatever you want, when you want. You will never again hold yourself back. And to me, you will tell only the truth._"

The change was instantaneous; her eyes became slits of blue, her face flushing red in anger and something else, and there were tears on her blond eyelashes, "I hate you right now."

I nodded, "I know. Now what do you want to do?"

Her eyes flashed towards the men behind me before she could stop herself, her gaze dominating, no longer scared, "Taste their blood. Feed on them until they're all dead."

I chuckled deep in my throat as I felt myself harden at her words, "Oh, love, you don't know what you do to me when you talk like that."

She growled at me, "You're sick."

"I thought we established that those mutterings do the opposite of discourage me. Now go do what you wish, Sweet Caroline."

She glared at me, pausing, "I hate that song," her voice was deadly serious. A second later she shot off, and I smiled as I watched, the beauty of the bestiality before me pleasing me. Oh this was a beautiful monster that I'd made.

**A/n:**_Hope you enjoyed the flashback! Review!_


	3. Giving Up My Humanity

**A/n:** _Soundtrack (Also known as the videos I watched before writing the first part of this) :_

watch?v=UCpRuWsD-8s

watch?v=I5DTWDiMj2I

watch?v=2XWsnQWrz2E

watch?v=5tv9S93mF64

_I'm really worried that Caroline's realization comes too soon without enough chapters of experience and thinking to precede it. Or that Klaus seems too…effected. I think all of this could be better, but tell me what you think. And I'm very sorry for the horrendously long wait, but with school and my computer acting stupid-won't let me go on youtube- I was losing inspiration. Thank God for Adam Levine's sexy voice or nothing would be written. And I know the other Klaroline naughty scene in this story was in Caroline's POV. I'm changing it up so tell me whose POV you prefer for what type of scenes._

"_You and I go hard at each other like we're going to war. You and I get so damn dysfunctional, we start keeping score. Tryin to tell you 'no', but my body keeps on tellin you' yes'."_

Klaus' POV

"Why are we here, Klaus?"

I rolled my eyes at her accusatory tone. If I'd thought, for even a second, that what happened between us would've change her constant antagonizing… I sighed. It wasn't so much the typical irritation that engulfed me whenever someone annoyed me, but more an irrational, and growing, madness that ran through me whenever she used that tone.

"We're at a gas station, Caroline. What do you _think _we're doing here?"

The piercing point of her eyes softened a degree in confusion, "You've actually stopped here for gas for the car?"

I locked my jaw, trying to restrain a growl, but felt it rumble through my chest just the same, "Yes."

She raised an eyebrow at my hiss, "Oh, don't act all mad that I don't trust you. I just thought that maybe you'd stopped here for fuel for _yourself_ you know-like maybe the clerk at the counter in there," she jerked her thumb in the direction of the pathetic woman in the store, dressed in a ghastly, tight green T shirt with a chunky yellow necklace entrapping her neck. I rolled my eyes. Caroline hadn't learned yet how carefully I select my meals to be…up to par.

"We just ate a few hours ago, Sweetheart. And it's very insulting when you assume I can't just do day to day things without some devious motive. It's…dehumanizing of you," I tilted my head to the side and smirked at her, enjoying my own self-made irony.

She laughed, and my body and head had conflicting reactions to it. Her obvious incredulous attitude was that kind of offensive that, from her, sent itchy fire through my veins, some annoying, aching anger in my chest. You see, my brain knew that I should be predominately mad, but all my body acknowledged sparks; she was turning me on again. Bloody hell.

"You threatened, killed, and kidnapped me and many of my loved ones…" Her eyes glowed coal hot like sapphires backlit by flames as she took a step closer to me, "…So, sure, I'll pretend like I believed that _bullshit_."

I could feel my jaw tightening as I clenched my teeth at her, "_Bullshit_ or not, we need gas. Do not get out of the vehicle."

Her eyes glinted at me, "You compelled me to do whatever I want, what if I don't _desire_ to stay in the 'vehicle'?"

I glared at her, fighting back the instinctual urge to rage, "I only did that to show you how much you hold yourself back. Staying in the car is not an influential desire in your life."

She shot one eyebrow up, "Translation to how that affects me?"

Her rebellious attitude stirred something primal in me, more than just the urge to repress her disobedience; I felt more…alive, as ironic and ridiculous as it sounds. Like I was hyper-aware of every movement of her body and expression on her face. I was even starting to distinguish her personal scent from everyone else's; it was equal parts sweet and dark, intoxicating.

I blinked twice and shook my head minutely once, clearing my thoughts in a second, but the fact that she could rile me up so easily angered me, my blood ran hotter, "Translation: Stay in the fucking car."

When I came back, she was sitting in the driver's seat. Gumption may impress some people, but it only pisses _me _off. Well, it used to. Now there's a…another side effect, besides anger.

"You're in my seat, love."

"Well, I'm not your 'love', so that sentence is rejected."

"On what grounds?"

"Caroline grounds."

Oh yes, her twisted system of logic where I was quickly learning the spectrum ranged from complete gibberish to infuriating refusal to submit to anything she deemed morally unjust or even simply questionable.

So, in light of that realization, I only shook my head and let out a bewildered, irritated breath, "Caroline," my voice felt hot coming out of my mouth as her sass heated everything within me. Ridiculous. And damn inconvenient. For the first time on this trip, I rethought whether it was wise to take her with me. And all because she'd had the audacity to try to drive my car.

"What?" Her voice, contrastingly, was cold.

"Nothing. I just can't fathom how someone can irritate me so much simply by being themselves."

She grinned at me, tilting her head at an angle that somehow made the light catching in her eyes look devious and innocent, "It's a talent."

Her voice was self-satisfied. I ignored her and leaned over her, my right shoulder pressing against her chest. I knew our current position had the scales tipped slightly in her favor and, aware of that, I turned my head towards her at the last minute to smirk right in her face. I didn't even bother to hold back my widening smirk as I heard her breath hitch. I turned the key in the ignition.

"You can either move yourself to the correct side of my car or I will literally pick you up and put you there myself."

She heard the serious tone in my voice and paused for a millisecond, still somehow entertaining the thought that I may be joking. I simply raised an eyebrow at her in warning, implying I was not in the mood anymore to ignore the little things she did that infuriated me.

She got the message. How she can read my looks like that, I do not know; the only ones that can normally do that are my siblings, and they've each had hundreds of years of experience with that.

I gave her one last quick, silent look before I pedaled the gas and stared out the windshield.

Caroline's POV

All right. I'll admit. I'm frightened. It may seem foolish to realize the extent of how dangerous this situation in while in the car beside him while he's driving quietly instead of when he compelled me and indirectly caused me to murder four men. But hey, I wouldn't be me if I did things the logical way… Okay, inappropriate time for a mental joke, Caroline. You'd be shaken too if you'd seen the look he just gave me. He didn't just look irritated anymore, he seemed unnerved. And honestly, I'd rather see him angry than unsettled. Unpredictable is much worse than angry.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Does it matter if you have no say in it?"

"Yes!" I hissed, "I want to know, Klaus."

He sighed, rolling his eyes, "Right now? A hotel. In the morning? Out of this country."

"Why?" I protested. All my friends were here. My family. My home. Why would he chose _me _to take all that from? I decided that I hated him, in that moment.

"Because," he emphasized, "I'm _bored _of this country's people and views. Quite frankly, most Americans irritate me, Sweetheart."

"Except me?" I snapped, already anticipating a bullshit answer that'd make me roll my eyes.

"_Esepcially _you."

I cut my eyes to him quickly, remembering his vague answer when I'd ask him this earlier, "Then why take me?!"

He glared at me sharply, his jaw locked, his grip becoming murderously tight on the steering wheel, "I told you-I like to keep threats close to me."

"Why am I a threat? I'm a baby vampire!"

I very well knew that I could defend myself from most things and people, that I was strong, but I wasn't stupid; he was a hybrid. I did not threaten him. Unless he harmed my family, then I believe I could find a way to kill him.

He looked out the windshield, staring ahead at the road, before slipping his eyes over to me, full of ire, walls of anger guarding him from showing any real emotion, "I don't know."

* * *

Klaus' POV

"Why did you let her go? I left my room for a moment, and you decided to free my dinner for me? Why are you so foolish?! This is what we are, Caroline!"

Smack. Her fist collided with my jaw. For a split second, before the pain shot through my jaw and became a dull burn, I entertained the thought of surprise; I was used to Caroline throwing elbows. That was her usual choice of weapon; after all, that's what she usually fell back on in these…I liked to think of them as sparring sessions. Actually, I'd blocked off the part of my mind that, in theory, could explain why fights with pulled such a reaction out of me, whether it be confusing and scintillating excitement or all-encompassing, aching irritation. I would call it anger, but my anger usually turns into pain for myself or others, and for some reason-again the logic for this sentiment escapes me-I didn't wish to end Caroline; an instinct in me said not to mar this woman.

"That wasn't an answer, Caroline."

"Really, because I thought my message was clear-fuck you," her voice was infused with a venom that I was starting to suspect had found its way into my veins.

I smirked, "You already did."

Her eyes burned, like a gas flame, "You compelled me."

"Only to do as you wished…But as pleasant a memory as that is, I wasn't talking about that time, love."

Her frown deepened and her eyes lost some of the spark that enticed me so much; she was confused. Her emotions always read clearly in her eyes. I hadn't decided how I felt about that yet.

"What are you talking about?"

I tilted my head to the side, attempting to sound genuinely curious and knowing I'd fail before I started. "Did you not know that you've screwed up my head?"

Her eyes were intense for a second, almost contemplating my meaning, before they glinted and her rose bud lips slipped into a smirk, "Which head?"

I rolled my eyes, growling," It's really not attractive to deflect like that, Caroline."

Her grin was wicked and for a split second I considered whether it might've been a bad idea to compel her and release her dark side. But then I blinked as she spoke and the thought was gone, "Still funny though."

Something in me caught fire as I stared at her expression and intoxicated myself on the evil light in her eyes, "You're joking with me now? Careful, love, you don't want anyone thinking you enjoy my company."

Her eyes dropped. Narrowing into a glare and something inconvenient churned in my chest.

"You had a question for me, didn't you? That's why you broke my locked hotel room door at three in the morning?"

I spoke through my teeth, "No, the broken door was because I was angry. Still am, actually."

"Angry at _what? _Have I not been as cooperative a _hostage_ as you'd prefer? You've already compelled me once, you could do it again if you wanted."

I grabbed her; I couldn't help it. And the lack of control unsettled me. I couldn't take it; if one more insolent word had come out of her mouth and I would've started turning. I could already feel my fangs growing out and aching sharply. I judged that my eyes had changed too. I hoped she noticed, but I saw no fear or submission in her eyes. Only indignation. She angled her chin up to look me in the eyes, "If you're gonna take away my free will or kill me, just do it already. Stop being an ass and quit keeping me in suspense."

I squeezed her shoulders, digging my fingers into her porcelain arms and I could feel her writhe and wince against my painful grip. It satisfied me. Her pain didn't please me, merely the fact that I was in control now. That was what upset me about being around Caroline; she held the unprecedented ability to take my control, without either of us knowing she was doing it. Or possibly I'm underestimating her. But the realization nor my hold eased the fire, just focused it and put it more in my own hands; _that's _what pleased me about the situation.

"I _told _you before we left, Caroline," I fought to keep my temper in; there was a storm in me, "I only wanted to release you from holding yourself back. If I'd wanted to really compel you, your free will would've been mine by now."

"'Really compel' me? What does that mean?! What you did to me wasn't 'real' to you, what you _caused_ me to do?! I murdered people, Klaus!"

Her voice had a hint of hysteria in it that broke through even her own fury.

I laughed, freely, because I didn't feel the need to hold it back and thus keep her from getting even angrier with me. Her anger being directed at me meant I affected her; I liked that.

A second after my laughter started, her hand connected with my cheek in a hard slap, neat to sting. I could tell her intent from her face; she was angry that I didn't agree she was right. Both of us wanted the other to submit. What an impossible, thrilling battle. I flexed my jaw against the sting of her hand racing across my skin. She wouldn't get away with that again.

I slammed her up against the stark white wall, putting angry dents in this fancy hotel, and growled, satisfied, when I heard her grunt at me, her eyes going wide in anger and shock.

"I'm perfectly aware of what you and I both did. You murdered them though, Caroline," our eyes burned into each other's like we were trying to see the other's soul, if we had any, "You." I emphasized to her as she glared at me acidly, "I may've compelled you, but it was your desire. It's just as evil to _want _to do something like that as it is to actually do it. So _stop _acting as if I caused this; what I meant by not 'real' compulsion is that eventually, given enough years, you would've committed the same act anyways. And what is a couple of years in our eternity? Stop. Pretending."

Caroline's POV

His voice cut through the self-induced fog I'd clung to, like a knife. His eyes scorched my skin as he glared at me, angrier that I'd _ever_ seen him be. For a second, I debated what that meant; that all the shit that's happened to him, all the rage and murder and havoc he's lived through and committed, none if it affected him as much as my humany-clinging delusion has. I'd never tell him just how much his words effected me and I doubt he'd ever tell me how much-I could see-that I broke his control, so maybe it was fitting. That this is what our relationship would be, what it already is-a battlefield, full of realizations and fire.

Because he was right. I felt my eyes widened. I'll never know why, at that moment, I suddenly understood; maybe it was because I was tired of all the frustration of trying to get him to see my way, maybe I was tired of fighting against my instincts. However much I hated them, I realized now that they were _my_ instincts. The vampire part of me _was_ a part of _me_.

In that hotel room, miles from my home with a dangerous man I could no longer be afraid of, I finally understood; I would never be human again. I was a vampire, it was in my nature to be a predator; I was an instinctually evil creature. And I didn't care. Maybe I was okay with it actually.

I still believed that compulsion was wrong, though. It stripped away one's choice and I would never tolerate that. But I knew now that vampires were just part of the food chain; humans were on step below us, though able to be appreciated sometimes, they were still what we lived on and I couldn't change that. The thrill of the kill and the power in my veins was part of that, part of me….and I _liked_ it.

I blinked; it felt like I'd been lost in thought for a while, but it'd only been seconds. The man holding me against the wall was staring up at me, breathing harder than before as he waited for me to speak.

"You're right."

"Hmm?" His exhale was quick, an almost animalistic sound, confused. It was one of those rare times when his thoughts leaked into his eyes. He was slowly putting me back on the ground, which only served to bring me closer to his body. He tilted his head slightly and this time his curiosity wasn't bullshit, I could tell, "If you're merely saying this to trick me into a false complacency-"

I rolled my eyes and pushed him back from me, taking a step to get away from the wall, "Do you honestly always think like that? How paranoid must you be to find deceit in agreement?"

He looked at me blankly, raising one eyebrow, "I've been alive for a thousand years and I've had almost as many death threats. If I wasn't paranoid, I'd be a fool."

I only rolled my eyes.

He took a step back closer to me, and another realization dawned on me-it wasn't just lust that first time, something inside me was attracted to Klaus. Yet again, I didn't care about the morals anymore, but I liked it. And I went with that; I smirked at him, feeling devious because I knew it boiled his blood when I…misbehaved.

He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, the beginnings of a matching smirk threatening to grow on his lips, "Forgive me if I'm skeptical of this sudden change in heart, darling."

I glared at him, keeping the smirk glued to my lips, feeling the conflicting emotions of anger and arousal still there. I was naïve to think that once I settled the fights I'd been having in my head, I wouldn't be so irrationally angry at him all the time. Something primal inside both of us pulled us together and at other times, made us both itch with irritation until we're mad.

"I've been stuck with you for days now," I started, not a good start, I know, "And I didn't realize it…but I was letting you get into my veins. And what you said just now-although it made me angry, I understand that I wasn't angry at the words themselves, just that it was true. But I can't change it. I can't feel guilt about something I can't control-we're predators and…I _like_ it."

Klaus' POV

Her eyes flared at me like white hot flames as her smirk said all the things she somehow knew would make my ears ring with the rush of my pulse. My heart hammered against my ribs and I clenched my hand around her waist tightly, pulling her closer to me and for each inch between us that was destroyed, I grew harder and less controlled.

"Are you trying to royally piss me off or turn me on?"

Her eyes didn't grow warmer, staying ice, but her smirk turned undeniably wicked and something inside me recognized her expression, "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware there was a difference between the two."

I stared at her, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" she raised both her eyebrows and huffed defensively, getting angry again. I thoroughly enjoyed that I could do that to her with just a change in facial expression.

"You figured that out faster than most people."

She grinned and some small part of my brain noted that it was the first time she'd ever done that. At me. I denied myself the understanding of analyzing that, knowing it would come with twice as much anger and confusion. Instead I chose to drown myself in her. I pulled her mouth to mine, not caring if she wanted to protest-although judging from the way she reacted, flattening herself against me and clawing my neck, I'm assuming she had had the same plan as me.

I didn't try to understand it as my blood turned to fire, searing everything in me. I squeezed my eyes tighter closed as I twisted my fingers roughly in her silky hair and fought to keep myself in control as I felt the veins around my eyes tightening and my fangs aching. The ache in my mouth was echoed lower in my cock as my long dead blood rushed south. I wasn't going to tell her, but I'd never been this hard before. In my entire life. I didn't want to think about that, because I was intuitive enough to realize it meant something, something I didn't want to know at that moment.

Fortunately, since I'd chosen to refuse my racing mind, my capacity to string together logical thoughts was quickly becoming non-existent; whenever I tried to think whole sentences, another ache grew in my mind. Caroline grew more aggressive, I was happy to notice. She pulled me from my fight with myself as she slipped her tongue into my mouth, stroking mine and pushing me against the wall I'd forced her into earlier. I felt a growl leave me when she bit my lip.

I pulled back half an inch to look into her eyes, showing her for what she really was; vampire.

I licked the drop of blood about to fall off my lip and became confused when she frowned, displeased.

"You really enjoy biting me, don't you, Sweetheart?"

"That was mine."

I raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

She pursed her lips defiantly, "I bite you for your blood, idiot."

Oh…she enjoyed how I tasted. A lot apparently, going by how many times she's bitten me in the last few days. Interesting. I smirked, something about her always puts me in this mood, like something hot and dark was trying to escape my chest.

"You can have a taste any time you like, love. All you have to do is ask."

Her expression grew to match mine and I'd never known a better equal for my wickedness, "And how would I do that?"

"I think you know."

She glanced down at my jeans, eyeing a specific area with a glint in her electric eyes before smirking back up at me, taking a taunting step closer and tipping her head so her lips were a millimeter away from mine. And with that one movement, she'd broken me; it was enough to drive me mad in an instant.

I groaned and cursed how tortured it sounded, before grabbing her by the neck and waist and gluing her back onto my body, enjoying the feel of her chest pushed up against mine. This time it was her slammed against the wall, one of her legs coming up to twine around my waist as I left her no room to breathe, trailing kissed down her neck, feasting on the skin around her collarbone. How can she taste so sweet to me without me even having her blood? I ignored my own question, running my tongue down her skin and making appreciative noises in the back of my throat as her moans hit my ears. Was I finally going truly insane after all these years or did her noises really sound like a symphony? Whatever it was, it was fueling me, encouraging me to make her scream, louder and louder. I felt like someone was turning the volume up too high in my head and everything was out of focus around the edges, my eyes trained on her breasts as more skin was exposed when she arched her back. I eyed her shirt for half a second before deciding I wanted it off, ripping it from her body.

"I liked," she gasped as I bit the side of her breast, "That top."

I rolled my eyes and growled, "Shut up."

"You know I'll steal your card to buy more."

How can she think about that during this? I vowed then and there to make her lose the ability to think every time we did this. I couldn't make my mind focus enough to fully understand what she was saying anyway.

"By the time I'm done," I breathed onto her skin, "You'll forget what that shirt even looked like."

I traced my finger around the edge of lace on her bra, tilting my head to give it a contemplative look, before ripping it to shreds as well. If she commented on that too, I'd take her right then without warning.

"Hey, that was-" she gasped and lost her words as I took her nipple into my mouth, sucking the puckered skin and flicking my tongue back and forth over it.

She made a sound that was a mix between a high pitched whimper and some strangled groan before she called my name, "Klaus!"

My ego swelled along with the bulge in my trousers as she continued making those wonderfully erotic sounds, digging her nails into my back. I was numb against the pinching pain of it.

I was out of breath for the first time in 900 years when I looked up at her, releasing her breast from my mouth, gazing at her through my eyelashes.

"There's a bed right there, Klaus," she panted, looking at me like she wanted to bite me again. Or maybe I was assuming that because I wished to do the same to her.

I smirked raising both eyebrows, "Yes, I saw it."

She glared at me, knowing I intended to force her into making the next move, " .It."

"Or what?"

"Or that rock-hard dick in your jeans will have to take care of itself."

I laughed, not believing her threat for a second, "You wouldn't leave. You want me just as much, Sweetheart. Don't deny what we can both prove."

"Oh, wouldn't I?"

I started seeing red as she turned her back to me, looking as if she intended to walk through that door. I grabbed her arm tightly, spinning her around quickly and kissing her, pushing her backwards to the bed. She went willingly, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist, keeping my hips close to hers. Both my hands were in her hair again, now thoroughly tangled, as we fell back onto the bed. I propped myself up on my elbows above her as she started running her bare foot up the back of one of my legs. The sensation tingled for a second before shooting straight to my dick.

I groaned and pushed her down into the bed, my hands holding onto her waist like an anchor for the chaos in my body. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if it should frighten me that I'd never reacted to someone quite like this. I felt her trying to wriggle out from my grip and for a second I let up my grip on her because it confused me why she was still fighting-not that I didn't enjoy it. It was enough of a slip for her to use all her strength to flip me, landing with her knees on either side of my hips. She smirked at me darkly as she stared down at me. I rolled my eyes and pulled her face to mine by the back of her neck. She shook her head, pulling away, and I frowned in confusion until she started licking down my neck, nipping with her teeth and sucking my skin into her mouth.

Before I could control it and stop myself, she'd pulled a loud moan from my throat. The fiery, aching sensation gathered in my chest and shot down to pull in my lower stomach, tightening everything in me. I felt disorientated and unsettled when I felt my hips arch up of their own violation, searching for friction. What the hell was happening?

For the first time I could remember, besides my transition so many centuries ago , I couldn't control myself, or this threatening force, and I did not even wish to.

"Caroline," I groaned, "What are you doing?" I hissed while she ripped off my shirt, the buttons popping off and scattering to the floor with several 'pings'.

She smirked and raised an eyebrow, her eyes on fire, "Whatever I want."

I recognized that she was throwing my own compulsion of her back in my face, but instead of making me angry, I chuckled, the noise sounding oddly hoarse.

"If you say so, 'Sweet Caroline'."

If someone whom didn't know us was listening in, they'd think it was meant as an endearment, when really I meant it as a taunt, knowing she hated to be called that.

My words seemed to make her angry; a determined, anticipating look settled on her face and before I realized it meant revenge, her head was already down. She was searing a path down my chest to my stomach with her lips, tongue and teeth. She ran her tongue down my lower abs; my eyes rolled back in my head and my skin burned as every nerve ending I had started to feel like a livewire.

"Shiiiiiiiiit," I seemed to only be able to utter one syllable at a time.

She tilted her head up to me a for a few seconds, her hooded eyes looking at me and strangely, reminding me of a cat for one inappropriately placed second in time.

"Caroline," I warned, half of me wanting to pull her up before she won, but half of me knew she already was winning. This time.

"You can't actually be scared of me _now, _Klaus."

"If you think that-"

I couldn't finish my sentence when she quickly leaned back down, and slipped her hand into my undergarments, stroking me hard.

"Fuck!" My hips bucked up again, making Caroline's smirk widen. I started to sit up to try to flip her back under me, but she'd managed to slip off my jeans and boxers in less than two seconds. She ran a finger up my length slowly, tilting her head and smirking down at me as she swiped her thumb over the tip, pressing her palm into me. Heat poured through me and any thoughts I had flew out of my head as I choked on the air I was breathing.

She gave me one last sly smile, raising her eyebrows in warning before she ducked her head down and wrapped her lips around me.

I'd never felt…_more. _I doubt I'd been 'at full attention' in a few hundred years. My brain kept repeating one phrase- _I need more, Caroline. _I wasn't the one controlling my body as she ran her tongue around the head and I arched my back off the bed. Disturbingly, Caroline was the one controlling my movements at that moment. She pursed her lips tighter and I'd writhe in the sheets. She ran her teeth down me and I'd shout out some incoherent curse. She swished her tongue against that spot on the underside of my cock and my eyes rolled back in my head. There was a dizzying weight pressing against my brain and my body, keeping me unable to do anything but _react_.

A few minutes later, I became aware that if I let her continue then both of us wouldn't _finish. _

"Caro-" I panted, trying to finish a word during her ministrations. It was proving extremely difficult.

"Caroline!"

She somehow recognized the tone of my voice as meaning I wanted her attention, I wasn't praising her; she immediately looked up at me, still smirking, her lips red and slightly swollen. I debated just making her continue, wondering why the hell I'd stop something that was so damn intoxicating. I shook my head at my weakness, but it did nothing to ease the pain that had started throbbing the second she took her mouth off of me.

She raised an eyebrow in question, looking indignant when all I did was grin wickedly up at her. My brief wink was her only warning; I flipped us, throwing her back down into the mattress.

I quickly rid her of the flimsy shorts she'd worn to bed earlier, taking her silky panties with them, throwing her clothes somewhere behind me.

Before she could say a word, I thrust, sinking myself in her, her walls tighter than I remembered. I didn't think anything could throw me off more than her lips on me, but I was dead wrong. Something inside me felt as if it was exploding as the sensation spread from where we were joined to every point in my body, like quivering, almost unbearable electricity. Her soft, dizzying moans turned to screams as I sped up, thrusting inside of her as quickly and forcefully as I was able. If she were human, I'd have broken her in two by now. My skin was on fire and it seared every time my stomach and chest brushed against hers on my lean in.

"So," she spoke through my thrusts, "Damn. Good."

I growled in agreement, realizing neither of us had ever felt this insanity before. I was going crazy, I was already halfway convinced by the time she'd spoken.

"Bloody hell, Caroline," I whispered in her ear, letting my hot breath caress the shell of her ear.

She was so bloody tight against me. I knew she was close when her moans started turning to whimpers, getting higher in pitch as she fluttered around me. I made sure to go a little deeper and harder as I felt her grow impossibly tighter, her walls squeezing around me.

"F-fuck! Caroline!"

"Oh, God! Oh, God, Niklaus. Oh!"

Her gasping screams were making my ears roar as the pleasure started licking at me like fingers of fire, feeling like I would either die or explode in the next instant. And in the next second, sure enough, it ignited. The screaming pleasure went everywhere, searing through my veins, my mind, my arms and legs, my stomach, and finally burning white hot in my cock. My shouts turned to a roar as I was consumed.

It wasn't until after I came to that I realized she'd used my full name again. And that I shouldn't like it.

* * *

**A/n: **_Ok yes reading that back to myself feels awkward...especially since I wrote this in the car while my family was in the car. Eh. I blame Joseph's sexiness. REVIEW! Please, please._


	4. Stubborn Lovers

**A/n: **_Why do I always write these things out of order? I swear, I wrote every scene separately and then went back and edited them together. Thanks to OKBoey31 for the plot for the next few chapters, because Lord knows I can't plan things out; I'm a filler and analysis writer. Love you, Sweetheart (Kaitlin!)_

_ watch?v=s95dnk8394g&feature=related _

"_This is how I show my love. I made it in my mind because. Maybe I'm a different breed. Maybe I'm not listening." _

**A/n: **_Would anybody seriously believe I own this show? No. The very thought amuses me. On with the story now. _

Caroline's POV

"So what are we having for breakfast?"

I felt the awkwardness of my question in the air before it left my mouth, but…I had to say _something_. If one of us didn't speak, we wouldn't be able to leave this room for a while.

He turned towards me when honestly he could've answered me without turning-I enjoyed the view of his back. And after my revelation last night-or very early this morning- I was okay with admitting it now. Well, logically I was, but it still felt unnatural. Like I was doing something wrong, I kept waiting for the guilt to kick in. Any minute now, but…I didn't feel that different. Okay, lie. I did. I felt like my nerves were zinging, like some constant adrenaline thrill. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe this is what the vampire sense of hyper-awareness was and I'd just been suppressing it all these months, still in favor of my human side. _What human side? _My subconscious sneered and I realized just how much I truly had been fooling myself-I wasn't human and I never would be again. I had to accept that.

I wondered what he was thinking: probably whether I was fooling with him, whether I had truly dropped all my antagonism towards him. Honestly? I hadn't. But…I _had _accepted my attraction towards him.

"Don't you mean to say," he walked two steps towards me, his lips lifting in a smirk, "_who _are we having for breakfast?"

I swallowed and looked away from him, fighting my instinct to throw him against a wall for purposely shoving my weak spot in my face. He leaned down into my space while I lay on the bed, whispering in my face, pulling my face up towards his by drawing his finger under my chin, "What's the matter, Sweetheart? You change your little mind?"

If he was trying to rile me up again, I'm not sure how he was doing. Why was he doing this? For fun? This was so wrong…

"No," I hissed, my eyes lighting like flames under his influence, "I didn't change my _little _mind. And if you ever expect me to do anything for any _little _parts of you again, you should probably stop being such a _dick_."

He laughed, chuckling low in his throat, but the deep sound was coupled with a scorching look in his eyes that spoke to me more than whatever words he was about to say, "I think we both know that's not true. Any of it."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever."

I threw the sheets off me, choosing my path towards the bathroom with the specific purpose of getting my all-too-uncovered body as close to his as possible, before walking straight past him and slamming the door behind me.

"Are you planning to take a shower or throw yourself a pity party? Because either way, it's rude not to invite me."

How can I _hear_ his maddening smirk without even seeing him?

"Don't act like you give a fuck what I do, Klaus."

In the next second, the bathroom no longer had a door on its hinges. And he was standing before me, already taking off his shirt, "Turn around and get in the shower, Caroline."

I glared at him, "I thought we had to be off soon. You know-breakfast then getting the hell out of this country?"

He raised one eyebrow at me, keeping his lips sealed shut into a flat line.

"What?" I demanded, "You can't just give me that look and expect me to do-"

I was cut off by his mouth on mine, him leaning his body hard into mine to push me back into the wall of the glass shower cubicle. Before I knew what was happening, my wrists were pinned in his grip above my head.

He pulled back, breathing hard and looking at me like every word I said drove him insane, "You know, this normally goes much better when you don't try to speak."

* * *

Klaus' POV

I was staring at her from across the small space of the elevator, encasing us in gold. She was trying to look anywhere but at me, her eyes darting from the floor to the walls every two seconds. She was confused. I didn't expect her to go through a major world-view alteration and wake up in the morning knowing exactly who she was. Trouble is, at the moment, I didn't much care for her struggle. You'd think a thousand years of practice living would give a man patience. It never worked that way for me. Impatience and boredom. I'm an easily-bored man. Not that her inner turmoil wasn't fascinating; I loved seeing someone as radiant as her work her way through the tangle her mind had gotten itself in. Well, I sort of helped her along to this point.

"Stop staring at me. I know creepy is kind of your thing, but seriously? Give me some space."

I simply raised one eyebrow at her, confident it would convey my indignation, "I am standing three feet away from you, Caroline."

Her eyes dropped to a flat glare at my literality, "It doesn't feel like it when you have your eyes on every part of me."

I chuckled deeply, "That's ridiculous."

She frowned, giving me some type of look that I'd never seen another girl have, "And why is that?"

"To look at every part of you, darling, you'd have to be a lot less clothed," I smirked as she was momentarily stunned out of speaking. Love that.

Before she could respond, the doors to the elevators slid open with a ding and we stepped out into the motel lobby. The walls were a dingy brown and the carpet was a repulsive green, the color scheme destructive onto itself. Bloody disgusting. I hate motels. But I'm a lot less likely to be noticed…_stealing a meal away_ in this seedy place than in a more sophisticated establishment.

A man in khakis and a green short matching the horrendous shade on the floor approached us with a rather stressed look on his face.

"Sir!" he called, running up to us, "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me….my boss doesn't want to make a scene out of this, so please just…let me take you in. I've been told to, um, arrest you as unnoticeably as possible. The manager has received anonymous tips that you committed horrible crimes here last night."

I stared blankly at him, irrationally hoping to myself that he would simply go away if I just willed it to be so.

When he continued to stare at me like an imbecile, I arched an eyebrow and responded, "Yes, I did. Are you too pathetic to name them? Shall I do it for you?"

The scared man stuttered, his dull brown eyes wavering between Caroline and I, his eyes noticeably spending more time looking to Caroline for help. He better pray that's why he was looking at her anyhow. She is _my_ treat for the time being.

But he found no help in Caroline, she was only glaring at me, a mix of confused at his words, instinctively angry at me, and even more confused by the fact that she was most likely not _feeling _actual anger, just knowing that she _should _be furious at this little man's implications.

Finally, the man grew angry at my refusal to cooperate. He grabbed my arm….I could almost laugh at his boldness. _Courage is by far the kindest word for stupidity_….I remember hearing that quote somewhere.

Before the man could get a proper grip on me, I shook off his hand and in the same second clenched his wrist in mine.

He looked around, terrified, hoping people were watching to help him, and also hoping if he survived, he wouldn't get fired for making this a scene. Well, he's obviously been told enough about me to be wisely frightened, so why didn't any other staff try to call the police last night? Are they really that proud of this mediocre business that they'd risk more murders just to save their-non-existent- reputation? _Humans…_I shook my head.

"I wouldn't do that, mate. Because you see, I will _not _be coming with you."

He glared at me as he tried to struggle from my grip, "You killed two women last night. People s_aw _you. There were witnesses! I bet there's blood on the clothes in your bag!"

"Ah," I clicked my tongue, "Very astute. You motel people really are very observant. Indeed, I did kill those girls. Well, their death was sort of the…side-effect. Actually, would you like to know what I really did with them?"

I enjoyed this part, seeing fear in their eyes, the power of control over emotion is rather intoxicating. There was no harm in telling him. He would soon forget anyway.

He didn't say a word. Caroline stood beside me, looking oddly mesmerized. I'm guessing she was finally realizing what being a vampire could really be, the freedom and power it allowed you. The old Caroline would've tried to save the man, so I was a little shocked. But then, she was not stupid; she had probably surmised I wasn't going to kill him. Too much of an effort to cover up.

I rolled my eyes at his silence, "Oh well, I'll tell you anyway. Because, in actuality, mate, I didn't murder those women- I _ate _them. Drank every last drop of their blood until there was nothing left for their hearts to pump. And _that _is why they died-because I was thirsty."

His eyes grew wide with disgusted horror, his brain trying to reject the reality presented in front of him, "You're lying to me. Don't try to scare me, man. It won't work. I'll call the cops."

Denial and threats. Typical.

I shook my head, exasperated, growing annoyed with this game I'd started, "First of all-I'm not lying. It'd be rather pointless considering you're not going to remember what I'm saying by the time I leave here. Second-You fear me. It's not strong of you to hide that, it's pathetic. And third-You _probably _should've alerted the police when someone first told you that a man was murdering people out back. Not that it would matter if they were already here."

I heard Caroline make a displeased sound beside me, a mix between a groan of annoyance and a scoff of disgust, "Klaus, we both know you're going to compel him and I know I can't stop you. So please do it already, dragging it out is sick. And frankly, I'm just too tired for your evil show this morning. You said breakfast, remember?"

I laughed out loud. The more she turned to the dark side, if you want to put it that way, the more Caroline enthralled me. I knew she hadn't lost all of her compassion because her eyes clearly said she wished I wouldn't have killed those woman, but she also know logically understood my point of view of this life, vampire life. Natural food chain and all that.

I turned my head to her, smirking, "Thank you, love."

She blinked, raising her eyebrows at me, "What the hell for?"

"The compliment. We both know why you're tired this morning, Sweetheart. And I believe that was my doing. Nighttime games truly is one of my better skills."

She paused, waiting to see if I was serious, before scoffing again and turning away, "You know what? I'll be in the car. The faster you leave this man alone and join me, the more chance of me letting you drive."

I almost gaped at her audacity, "_Letting?_"

She gave me a pointed look before speeding away.

I sighed, extremely irritated all of the sudden. Damn that baby vampire. I was having trouble remembering why I thought it was to kidnap such an obvious threat to my mental stability. I don't think she'd appreciate being called that. But I'm pretty sure I don't care, either.

I turned back to the man staring in shock at me and the place Caroline used to be standing. I switched my tight grip from his wrist to his neck, lifting him up, his feet dangling as I felt my eyes dilate while I spoke, "You will not remember me. You and your staff have no record of Klaus Mikaelson ever staying here. Tell me where everyone who knows what I did is."

After five minutes of compelling a third of the building, I was gone.

* * *

Caroline's POV

I sat in the driver's seat again, half contemplating trying to escape. See there were several holes in that idea: I can't be sure, but he's most likely ten times faster than me, twenty times stronger and wholly unstable and two, a part of me…was intrigued by this. By him, I should say. I'd already realized and admitted to myself that this vampire instinct for power and blood was a part of who I am now. My mind didn't have a problem with accepting that when my body was being…persuaded by him. And trust me, it's been the best damn persuasion I've ever had.

I bit my lip as I leaned against the window, my arm bent under my chin. Half of me wanted to run back, screaming, to my home, to my human self. But the logical part of me knew I could never be her again. With that thought in my head, I couldn't help but have the poisonous desire to explore this side of myself. I'd never been the one in control. I'd never been looked at like a dark goddess (Klaus' bedroom eyes). And I had to admit it, I loved that. If I stayed with him, how much longer would it take until I became the Bonnie to his Clyde? Would I be able to stop myself? Or him?

And what I had just seen him do in there…was amazing and terrible. I have a feeling he'll always have that impression on me. I'd never been in favor of compulsion. As a human, Damon used me as a blood bag and a sex toy. The idea of doing that to someone else used to grit my nerves…but now that I understood this food chain idea…that I'm _not _human; I am a creature that depends on humans for life, like humans live off the animals. It was natural, if hard to accept, that vampires survive off the lower level of that chain. And of course compulsion doesn't have to hurt anyone…but when I ate a steak as a human that came from killing animals like Klaus' meals come from killing humans. I was beginning to not see them as people. Disturbingly easy really when these humans are strangers to me.

I looked up as I heard footsteps crunching the gravel. I rolled my eyes; if he'd wanted not to be noticed, he wouldn't have made a sound. He was getting my attention on purpose. When I saw the scarlet running off his lips, his eyes glowing yellow in hunger, it took me a second to reconnect back to the world around me and realize that was looking back at me.

He saw the look on my face and grinned, dimples and fangs showing conspicuously. He lifted a hand and roughly wiped away the evidence from his mouth. Before he could open the car door, he stopped and I head a buzzing that must've been his phone.

_So he has no ringtone…_

My mind chooses weird things to pick up on in intense situations such as these.

He pulled it from his pocket and immediately rolled his eyes when read the caller i.d., the gold slowly turning blue again. Somehow it seemed a more vibrant blue than the last time I'd looked into his eyes. Then I realized; it was because of the life he'd taken-his eyes were brighter because he'd taken life-force. Vitality.

"Kol, I don't have time for-"

Oh. So that was why he was irritated-Kol. Understandable. I'd heard things about Kol..

"…You did not. I told you to stay _out _of that country!"

His voice sounded deadly as he gritted out the command. I couldn't quite hear Kol's response, just a garbling in a low cocky voice.

"Yes, I am very aware of your aversion to rules, Kol."

Even from inside the car, I could _feel _how livid Klaus was with his younger brother. He clenched his jaw and breathed out slowly on his next question, "Did you kill _all _of them?...Good," he nodded, "I may still have a chance for business with The Volk."

I could actually see him growl at some ridiculous remark that I'm assuming Kol must have said.

"You best be out of Russia before I arrive, brother, or you may not be seeing the light for another hundred years."

He hung up with a vengeance and stalked the rest of the way to the car, his good mood gained from deeding I assumed was now plummeting from dealing with his brother. I really didn't want to obey him, but I wasn't one to jump in front of a natural disaster. And Klaus, right then, had _storm_ in his eyes. I was in the passenger's seat before he even opened the door a second later.

He flung the door open, the metal hinges protesting and I idly wondered how much control it took on his part to not rip the door off in anger.

His eyes cut to mine as he sat down, and I got the impression of fiery ice, if that's even possible.

He looked to me for a minute when he noticed my displeased expression, "We've gone over this, Caroline. I drive. No discussion," he sighed.

"Maybe you should've thought about that before you pissed me off. Dangling my sore spots in my face? What do you accomplish by that? I know you don't think I'm some weak little girl that will _let _you do things like that."

His eyes cut over to mine and for a few seconds he was completely silent as he regarded me, "You would do well to not assume every action I make has some motive against you. Not everything concerns you."

I blinked. Oh. That really was sort of naïve of me, or self-centered I guess, to assume that he was putting on a show of some sort simply to upset me. I realized then that this is how he is, this is what he did; he killed whoever he wanted, whether it be for feeding or strategy or maybe just for sport sometimes. He wasn't doing it to upset me. He was just doing it, and he didn't care if it upset me.

"I understand."

His grip on the steering wheel clenched slightly harder, and his eyes slid across to mine for only a second before he glued them back to the road.

"What?"

His voice was sharp.

"That whole scene. I know that's just how you are and you probably weren't meaning to show me anything, but I learned something just now."

He smirked, rolling his eyes slightly, his face still hard, "And that would be?"

"Why vampires do things."

He smiled sickly, looking proud…I realized that I was starting to understand him, "Go on. I think you've got it."

"_Because we can_."

He nodded, his eyes lit up with dark enjoyment, "This world is ours to bend, Sweetheart; we live outside the rules and it's time you start playing the game. "

His words effected me more than I was comfortable with him knowing, so I looked out my window and cleared my throat, cursing the awkward loudness of it, "So, where are we going in Russia?"

His eyes flashed as he looked at me, "…Of course you heard."

Finally, he turned the key in the ignition, stared straight ahead, and swallowed hard, "We're going to St. Petersburg."

And then we sped away in his fast car.

* * *

Caroline's POV

"Um…can I buy new clothes before we leave? I didn't actually have time to pack before you kidnapped me."

He made a sort of scoffing laugh as he readjusted his grip on the black leather of the wheel, "'Kidnapping' is a harsh word. You don't sound too upset about it anymore though, Sweetheart. Are you finally done fighting me?"

I felt my eyebrows scrunch together in a frown as I glared at the side of his head-his eyes stayed glued to the road even though his focus was needless.

"Never," I half-growled; when I stopped being 'Girly Caroline', fighting became who I was, I liked to think 'fighter' defined me, "But I couldn't escape if I wanted to, could I? And you compelled me to always do what I want and…"

"Some part of you wants this."

I scoffed and looked down, starting to shake my head.

He smirked, "Denial is useless when see through, Caroline. You said _if _you wanted to escape…implying you don't."

I averted my eyes, his cerulean gaze doing uncomfortable things to my breathing pattern.

"So," I started again, flippantly and still cold, "Shopping?"

He laughed darkly at my simple, out of place request. His eyes flicked down once over me and then back to my eyes, "You very well can," I was shocked at his out of character response until he continued with a devious smirk, "But I will not be attending."

I rolled my eyes, drumming my fingers agitatedly on the door beside me. How did he expect me to buy clothes and necessities without this car or, well, his money? I kind of forgot my wallet when I was being forced out of my house. I mentally growled, knowing if I did it out loud, it'd only serve to amuse him. He obviously would never let me drive and I didn't want to think about whether I would use compulsion if I had to…instead of money…probably because my subconscious knew that I _would_.

"Why not?"

I cursed how much my tone sounded like a petulant kid, especially when I didn't want to give this man any reason to feel in control of me. Never mind his damn compulsion.

Right when his lips quirked up in that infuriating smirk, I knew I'd just walked into whatever words were about to leave his lips.

"You just said it, love; you _will _keep fighting me. Because you want to. And you've _felt _exactly how your fire effects me."

I blinked indignantly at him, my expression blank and waiting, "And?"

I failed to see how that related. His smirk became a full blown grin, dimples and all, as he turned his head to fully face me, recklessly abandoning his attention from the road to lean into my personal space, "If I go with you, I will upset you. Inevitable. Now tell me, love, do you really want me to ravish you in a dressing room?" He was practically purring now, "If so, I can arrange that."

I angrily tried to tamp down my traitorous hormones as I felt my neck flush read and a glowing heat spilled through my veins, a feeling I was beginning to associate with his voice curling in the pit of my stomach. I hated that he could do this to me so easily, or that's what I told myself, but I hate it more that he _knew _he could.

A whispering voice itched at the back of my mind, trying to tell me that there was something I _did _like about that; I, or rather some part of me or my body that I didn't understand, liked his cockiness, craved his smirk and infuriating teases. Something in him lit something in me on fire. He challenged me…Oh my God, that;s it. No man, or boy, I'd ever been with or around made me question myself like this, dared me so persuasively to explore my limits, push them.

Matt had rejected who I was when he first found out I was a vampire. Of course, I know now it was just a shock, anger and grief of vampires taking his sister that he took out on me. He came back to me eventually. But he always saw my good side, my human side. There's nothing wrong with that, but it I think that was _all _he saw in me. Problem is, that's not all of who I am. Matt was too good to ever see someone he loved as not, not normal or human or innocent. And he did love me.

Tyler and I grew close when I comforted him through his transition and likewise he comforted me when my father had made me feel like a total mistake. I used to think Tyler challenged me, burned my veins, but I was realizing now that all of that feeling -or a lot if it anyway- had come from our vampire and werewolf instincts…the ones that made supernatural beings _crave_ sex.

But Klaus…he never _stopped _challenging me. It almost seemed like one of his twisted games sometimes. Except when I saw the look in his eyes that he has now-when he looked at me like he was starving and I was delicious-then I knew he was dead serious. It seemed like at the times when he didn't understand me at all, that confusion, that intensity, no matter what type of emotion it was, was so new to him that all he could do to black it out was to grab me and kiss me. It was freaking me out that my subconscious was trying to decode him, and it unsettled me more to realize that I was probably right. I was also probably the only one outside of his family that had even tried to decode him in the last century. Maybe…no, I shook my head.

That intensity, that internal conflict we both had within us _about _the other, made my breath come shallower, like my heart wanted to rip its way out of my chest. My cheeks prickled with heat as he seemed to forget the car he was driving and the road. I cleared my throat, finally, "Um…Klaus, you're still driving."

He blinked with blank eyes, then immediately frowned and turned back to face the road, "Thank you for supplying me with the obvious, Caroline."

I rolled my eyes, "You just hate shopping like any other guy."

I stared out the window and pretended to not notice when I saw his face lift in a genuine smile for the first time since he'd taken me in the night a week ago.

* * *

Klaus' POV

After thirty minutes of driving, I pulled into the parking lot of a large commercial shopping center and parked, silently sitting there while Caroline looked all around her before finally settling her eyes on me.

"…Are you trying to be funny?"

I frowned and lifted one eyebrow, confused, "What's humorous about this building?"

She laughed, laying her head back against the headrest of her seat, the sound lifting my spirits slightly for some reason, "Nothing. But the image of you _in _it is. I thought you said you wouldn't let me go shopping."

"I can stay in the car if you'd like."

The coolness of my tone seemed to frustrate her.

She sighed and rolled her eyes heavily, "You're avoiding the question. Again. I wasn't implying I didn't want you to come, and you know that, don't you? I was asking why you changed your mind."

I paused for a second to debate with myself…I wasn't exactly sure why I'd changed my mind. She would need a new wardrobe eventually and she wouldn't be as familiar with the European shops. But then I could have just had my hybrids run out and buy her a whole store if I wanted to. I've already surmised her dress size from learning her body with my hands last night. So why am I letting her buy her own clothes…I knew she was the type of person that would be annoyed if she didn't get to pick out what she wore herself and I had guessed she enjoyed shopping usually. But I don't really care if she's irritated. So why…I blinked away the thoughts and turned in my seat to face her.

"And I am refusing you that answer."

Her face automatically puckered to form that little dent between her eyebrows I'd seen her get whenever I'd refused her something in the past week. She scoffed and looked out the windshield.

"Are you not used to that, Sweetheart? Being told no? Not getting everything you ask for…"

She froze. Her shoulders were stiff when she turned her head back to me. Without warning, it seems I had set a bomb off within her. Her eyes snapped to mine like a firecracker going off, "Do you honestly think I've gotten everything I've wanted in my life? I was always chosen second. I was everyone's backup! I wished that my friends, all the guys I liked, would have chosen _me_! But in the end, they didn't. And I didn't wish for my father to leave me! I didn't think I'd ever be used and compelled. I didn't want to be turned into a vampire as part of someone else's master plan! Collateral damage," she spat at me, her voice venom and her eyes spears, "I didn't _ask _my father to torture me like he wished I had died instead of become what I _am_! And I still didn't want him to die after he came back and saw that _what I am _is okay, that I was still _me! _And you know what? I don't even give a damn if you come with me right now or drive away when I get out of this car. I'm not asking _anyone _to give me _anything_- I don't even want your fucking money!"

She turned away from me like whiplash, opening the door and the force of her slamming the door shut behind her sent cracks through the glass. I watched her walk away through the spider-veined glass and I didn't understand the feeling of a heavy rock sinking within me that I had when she'd turned her back. I'd not really been aware of her that much of her story when I'd taken her. It turns out this beautiful little firecracker was a lot more than just a pretty blonde.

* * *

Klaus' POV

I leaned my back against the far wall of the small dressing room, eyeing the pale yellow walls and the fluorescent lights above me bitterly. _This establishment was not well-designed…_

I shook myself from the tangent, realizing I was distracting myself from thinking about Caroline's earlier words in the car. I let my head fall back against the wall as I waited for her to return, pushing all inconvenient thoughts away. Granted, she was under the impression that I'd left the store after she'd slapped me for coming into her dressing room the first time. It's honestly naïve of her though if she'd expected me to leave after she'd yet again shown me more of the fire within her.

There's something about the fight in that girl, the stubbornness and passion, that sets me off. My blood had started to boil just thinking about it. I shook my head, _I have to get a grip on this _, I thought as I felt myself hardening, feeling the very same way I'd felt in her hotel room last night.

Before I could work myself up any further, I was drawn out of my thoughts by the door opening.

_Here we go… _

I knew she was about to be furious with me again. I did not care. I expected the punch that she tried to throw at me after she'd gasped at finding me again, and I caught it before it connected again. What I didn't foresee was what she'd be carrying. I pulled her to me by my grip on her wrist, causing her to lose her balance and fall into me. She inhaled sharply from the shock, her eyes flickering down to my lips for a brief second before hastily coming back up to look in my eyes when she noticed that I had her chest pressed against mine and her face was less than an inch away. She sometimes tried to cover up the way I affected her, but I knew…

I smirked as I felt her heartbeat pick up, beating erratically. _Like mine, _I grudgingly admitted. I slowly reached a hand down to her side, placing it gently on her hip.

She eyed me cautiously, wavering on whether to be mad at me still or suspicious. _Neither, darling, just give in. _

A grin overtook my face at her dubious expression. I chuckled quietly under my breath as I slid my hand languidly down her hip to her upper thigh where her hand was resting. As she shivered, I quickly grabbed the hanger holding whatever she'd been intending to try on from her hand.

I brought it up to the side of us, examining the little black dress she'd chosen, "Not exactly the every-day wear you said you needed."

She looked down guiltily for a second before snapping her eyes, and her anger, back to me, "I won't explain myself to you."

So she was still mad at my earlier words…I do hate my mouth and it's propensity to say unhelpful things sometimes. But honestly, she can buy whatever she wants; it won't dent my accounts. I was just curious as to her motives to wanting to buy it in the first place…

I kept my expression neutral, lifting one eyebrow, "I didn't ask you to. But you clearly wanted to try this little number on…"

"So?" she stared at me.

I smirked slightly as my eyes lit, they always seem to around her, "So…_ .on."_

I knew she felt the power of my compulsion pushing her to do what she wanted, or had wanted. She probably wouldn't admit to being okay with me watching her change. I knew she was, but illogically she'd never admit it. Not to me, at least…

She pursed her lips in a frown, conflicted and trying to fight the compulsion. I could see that she was still irritated with me.

"Get out then," she started angrily, then lifted and eyebrow and smirked rather evilly, maybe my mannerisms are rubbing off on her…, "It's not nearly as fun if it's not a surprise, Klaus."

I rolled my eyes; I knew she was trying to entice me into doing what she wanted. And entice me she does, but no one can make me do something I don't wish-like leaving that room.

"Nice try, little spitfire, but I believe there's something you _want _to be doing. Now undress, Caroline."

She bit her lip, purposely knowing what she was doing to me, her hot eyes still gazing into mine, except her glare had turned to something else. And it made me feel like I was trying to breathe with a heavy fog in my lungs, a pressure pushing down on my chest. I mentally shook my head, _What the hell is happening? _

Of course, I'd seduced women before. For several reasons; some simply for pleasure, some for thirst, some for revenge on someone who'd upset me, some just for strategy, as part of a plan. I usually took care of them in the morning, compulsion or death. But no interaction with a woman I've had has ever done this to me. This was almost debilitating. But Caroline was a rush as much as she was a haze. Staring into her eyes was intoxicating, a heady feeling that I had no precedent for.

And that's when she chose to finally give into the compulsion, obey me. She kept her eyes on me the whole time as she pulled her shirt over her head and threw it to the floor, crumpled in an already forgotten pile. She leaned over, pulling her jeans from her long, pale, graceful legs and I gorged my eyes on the creamy skin she was revealing, curves reminding me of an old painting I'd seen of the Greek Muses dressed in white. Her bent position gave me a rather revealing angle of her breasts. She knew exactly what she was doing.

She stood back up to her full height and reached out her hand, "Give me the dress."

I blinked, noticing that my reactions had grown slower somehow. I smirked as I shook my head.

"No," I enjoyed her reaction as her eyes grew wider and her face was indignant, "Not going to work like that, beautiful. Lift your arms now."

She heard the demand in my voice, but for once, didn't understand it, "What?"

I simply grinned, feeling even more wicked than usual, "Arms. Up," I commanded.

She tilted her head in consideration, understanding what I meant, and pretending that she might refuse just to irritate me. I know she liked to think that she hated the games I played, but she was pretty good at them as well. And I know she enjoyed these kinds of competitions.

I gave her a flat look, "We both know you're not a dumb blonde, Caroline. You know what I mean and you know you are not getting out of this. I'll repeat it one more time: Put your bloody arms up."

She pursed her lips in a strange side frown, trying not to accept that I was right, "Alright," she said calmly. Too calmly.

I ignored her out of character assent and stepped up to her so we were almost as close as before. She promptly lifted her arms straight over her head. I took the silky, short black material that was still in my hands and lifted it over her head, purposely going as slow as I could. I stared into her eyes two inches from mine as I pulled the dress down over her head, letting my fingers slide against her arms, shoulders, then the underside of her breasts. The action was meant to taunt her, rile up her senses and make her impatient, but it backfired; the feel of her, the lace under my fingertips and the smell of her skin, an intoxicatingly sweet floral scent. I let the dress fall from my hands. She kept her eyes on my face, sliding her dress down over her body. I leaned down to reach her neck, feeling myself sway further into her space. I let my head drop on her shoulder, breathing in the scent coming off of her skin. I could get drunk on it. If I wasn't careful, I would. Keeping her with me would be a distraction. Could I afford that?

I forgot my thoughts as my mouth started trailing kisses down to her collarbone almost on autopilot. I was not used feeling this sort of abandon during anything except bloodlust. I suppose it makes sense that both types of lust could cause this reaction.

My senses perked up from out of the fog as I her soft moan hit my ears. She arched her back, pushing her breasts into my chest as she clawed her hands at my back, her arms wrapped around my shoulders. The sound went straight to my groin, my blood rushing in my veins.

I lifted my head back up to look at her, "I warned you this would happen, Caroline."

She smirked, "I know."

Wait…her expression looked as if it was implying something…

"You wanted this to happen?"

She shrugged, grinning a little devious smirk, "We never finished what you started in the shower this morning. You had an important call to answer, remember? You left the bathroom before I was even naked."

One minute she's furious with me, the next she wants me to shag her? I did not understand this girl. Maybe because I was beginning to see that Caroline was not a girl; she was a woman. And what else does a woman do to a man for fun besides turn him on? The fact that we were immortal did not change that.

"I thought you were angry with me…"

"I'm a talented multitasker; I can be angry with you and want to ride you against a wall at the same time."

I laughed, "Oh, you're talented alright, love."

Her suggestive words sent provocative, all around _delicious _images flying through my head. Which in turn made my whole body ache in anticipation. I'd felt that ache before, but only ever in once place, it had never spread through all of me like this.

I looked down to the dress I'd just put on her, eyeing it hatefully, "You know love, I really do like that dress you've picked up, but I'm getting a bit jealous of how close it is to your skin."

She rolled her eyes impatiently, "If you're going to rip it off, just do it already."

I grinned, feeling vindicated, having permission to do it didn't make it feel any less devious, because I knew she loved this dress.

I fisted my hand in the fabric at her hip and pulled roughly with my strength, the dress ripping as it fell to the ground in pieces. I wasted no time, grabbing her by the back of the neck and gluing her mouth to mine. I know we'd done this last night, but it seemed like forever since I'd touched her. I was addicted to how this felt, how she felt pressed against me. I knew she could feel me against her stomach by the way she jumped up slightly, wrapping her legs against my waist. I flipped us around and pushed her into the wall I'd leaned on to wait for her.

"You said you wanted me to fuck you against a wall…" I trailed off teasingly and let my eyes flirt with her gaze.

She growled in the back of her throat, the sound enthralling me almost as much as the flush in her cheeks as she pulled me back to her by her grip on my shoulders. She moved one of her hands to my chest, trailing it down to my abdomen slowly and I think she knew it was sending sensual fingers of fire down into my gut.

I groaned and pushed my hips into her center. She laughed once, breathlessly as she gripped my shirt in her hand and yanked at it. A second later my shirt was torn to shreds and I felt the cool air conditioning hit the skin of my back. She scratched her nails down over the newly exposed skin of my stomach, dropping her hands to hold onto my hips as she bucked into my hardness.

"Mmmm," she breathed above me, her lips by my ear, "So damn hard, Klaus."

I could tell that in this arena at least, she accepted me. I wasn't sure about how she felt in other situations, but this one was more than enough at the moment.

She ground her hips down onto mine hard after her groaned words in my ear. I panted hard as torturous sensations racked me, my groin swelling impossibly more, "You're bloody killing me, love."

I didn't notice until later how my words sounded like a moan. An entirely too loud one seeing as we were technically in public.

"Shhh," she laughed in my face, the boldness somehow didn't anger me, I was too lost, "Remember where we are, Nik."

I froze.

She'd used my familial nickname. Almost as an afterthought.

"What did you just say?"

She blinked down from her position in my arms, "I…I didn't even think about it."

"Good, keep that up; stop thinking."

She was right though, if we didn't keep it down, we'd be caught and the idea of anyone else seeing her like this made me irrationally angry. Restraining myself would be a challenge, but after a thousand years, I had some measure of control. Normally.

I raised my hands up her back to unhook her white, lacy bra, throwing it in the corner.

At the sight of her breasts, I felt pushed by some instinct to bend my head, stooping to take her nipple into my mouth. I lathered it with attention until I felt it pucker into a hard pebble. Her loud moans hit me a second later, "Oh…oh god, Klaus. Please, if you're not inside me in five seconds, I may explode."

I lifted my head by a fraction, staring up at her from under my eyelashes. I simply shook my head briefly, opting to run kisses, nipping and then subsequently sucking and licking her skin to soothe the slight bite, making my way down her stomach.

It seemed like she couldn't stop her recurring soft moans and her breathing was becoming alarmingly fast and shallow.

She tangled her fingers in my hair as she chanted mindlessly, "Yes…yes…yes…"

I was hit with the scent of her arousal as my lips reached just above her panty line, it was similar to the scent coming off the skin at her neck, but deeper, spicier somehow. I pulled her legs onto my shoulders as I debated asking for permission, but realized that the sounds she was making were not those of a women being taken advantage of, but rather one who was thoroughly enjoying themselves. I had no idea how no one had heard us yet, but I didn't care at all. So I simply slipped my fingers under the material of her underwear and pulled them down her legs. She stepped out of them hurriedly and kicked them away.

But before I could do as I intended, I felt her pulling hard at my hair, "Klaus, we don't have time. Someone's going to notice us soon, seeing as we completely failed at staying quiet."

I raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't the one moaning every two seconds."

"Just shut up and get back up here."

I chuckled lowly, "Gladly."

After I stood back up and, her feet falling back to the ground, she took me by surprise as she used her back being pressed against the wall as leverage to jump slightly and wrap herself around my waist, taking me into her before I could even say a word.

She released her loudest moan yet as I almost felt to my knees in surprise. Instead, I fortunately had enough presence of mind to let my head fall into the crevice of her neck and shoulder. I choked out a groan as pushed once hard, engulfing my full length into her.

She gasped as she felt me stretch her, "Klaus?"

I frowned at her sudden need to ask me a question, "Yes?"

"…No man's ever gotten this hard for me before."

My eyes flashed up to hers in surprise, "You are stunning, Sweetheart. Surely, you must be kidding."

She shook her head, a brief look of insecurity flashing through her eyes.

I grit my jaw at that, "Well then, I'll just have to show you how much you affect me then, hmm?"

She smirked until I pulled out of her, whimpering at the feeling, before I started to push back in as slowly as I my body would let me. I wanted her to feel all of me; just how hard she made me, I wanted her to feel me pushing inside her with everyone of our heartbeats. This new feeling of…closeness to someone during this was…disorienting and I refused to process what it meant at the moment, even if my mind was clear enough to.

But she wasn't the only one being driven mad by my slow pace. At this speed, I could feel every inch of her pull me in, tight like a vice grip on the most sensitive part of me. My legs were beginning to tingle, a hot numb feeling as I started thrusting faster into her, slamming her into the wall.

"Klaus," she breathed, panting for breath, "Harder. I need," she took a breath, "_More_."

I could feel my heartbeat roar in my ears as I obliged her request. I wanted what she wanted, after all.

I sucked on an area of her neck to distract myself from the feeling of her around me, trying to prevent myself from finishing before her. I'd never had that problem with any other women, none of them felt like this. But something about her had me fighting for control over these sensations.

"Caroline," I panted on a groan, "Oh my-fuck," I groaned, "Come, love, come."

I pounded into her with all of my strength, hitting the same spot deep within her every time, "Oh! Oh! Klaus! Klaus! I'm-I'm-Klaus!"

I felt my eyes roll back in my head as her walls suddenly squeezed impossibly tighter around me before pulsing hard every other second. Her orgasm forced me into mine and suddenly the hold I was grasping onto was ripped away and I shouted into her neck, "Caroline! Bloody-" I lost the ability to speak as white hot tremors racked my body, every nerve ending on fire as an unbelievable pleasure pulsed and ached through me, the fire centered in my cock. It almost hurt for a second, before I blinked into oblivion and we fell into a tangled pile on the floor.

"Someone definitely heard that…we're going to need to find a different mall."

I shook my head and laughed; I hadn't regained enough breath to speak yet.

* * *

**A/n: **_By the way, 'Volk' is how you pronounce the Russian word for 'Wolves'. That's not how the actual word looks in Russian, but it's how Caroline would have heard it. Question: do you guys think they um…do it too often? I admit I did watch the love scene in Ben Hur before writing this, but this does have a plot and how they affect each other is just part of the psychology, and physiology I guess, of it. Ha. Also, would you rather read those scenes in Caroline's perspective or Klaus'? Any ideas or suggestions are welcome! Oh and the next chapter will hopefully be up soon, it's almost finished, I just hope I don't get distracted. Review if you like or just want to tell me something. _


	5. AN-Please hold for tech difficulties

**A/n: **Hey guys, sorry for the author's note; they're annoying, I know. But it was necessary because my friend pointed out to me just now that isn't letting some of you review because I deleted the two preview chapters and that makes it look like this chapter should be six or something. And therefore, it says those who try to review have ALREADY reviewed the chapter once. *Eyeroll* Sorry about that. I think , if you want to, you may be able to leave a review on this author's note…Hopefully. Technical difficulties. Derp.

-Pixie


	6. Back and Forth

**A/n: **_ This took way longer than I thought it would to finish. I kept getting distracted by things during Thanksgiving break. And I'm probably going to work on Not Quite a Century and Father's Fear before I start the next chapter of this. Sorry, but hope you check out the next chapters of those! And I was rereading the last scene of last chapter and I don't even remember writing half of it. Wow I'm out of it. Reading my smut embarrasses me….As always, I'm open to plot ideas or even random suggestions for lines or anything you want in a scene. I can't guarantee it will fit with the chapter, but I always try to work you guys wishes in there. Anyway, on with wolfy drama and such. Have fun in Russia, darling readers. Don't forget your winter coats, we may be here for a while. *wink* _

**Disclaimer: ** _I would skip while stealing ownership papers of this show, right out of Plec's office….does she have an office? No. Oh, moot anyways, I don't need another thing to add to the 'List of Things I Should Be Arrested For'. Kidding, but not so much. _

"_Negotiation is one part pleasantries and two parts intimidation."_

Caroline's POV

"Wow," I breathed, stopping as he walked ahead of me into the bustling crowd of the airport.

He turned, sighed in irritation and turned over one shoulder to look at me, "What is impressing you, love?"

I rolled my eyes, "Why are you in such a hurry? I've never been to an airport…just taking it all in."

His eyebrows flew up in genuine surprise, "You've never been _in _an airport?"

"I told you at the ball that I'd never been anywhere."

"My voice came out sounding smaller than I wanted or expected it too. I hated feeling like that insecure little human girl. _Just because he's worldly, doesn't mean he knows more than I do_, I told myself to combat the look on his face.

His face was slightly condescending as he explained what he meant, "Yes, I do actually listen to you, Caroline. I remember. But I assumed you'd at least dropped someone off before."

I didn't meet his eyes. I just rolled my eyes again, trying not to huff immaturely as I started walking ahead of him this time, "Whatever, let's just go."

He caught up behind me in no time and took my arm, bringing my fast walk to a stop, "Caroline," he breathed over my shoulder, "You will see the world. You can have anything you want now, remember when I told you _that? _"

I tried not to look back at his face, knowing that if I did it would create some sort of moment, _atmosphere,_ that was too significant and confusing for either of us to be comfortable with yet.

I cleared my throat to get my voice back, "So Russia will just be my first stop then."

He smiled then, almost too small to notice, but I had an eye for his minute expressions. He nodded approvingly, "Yes."

I walked forward, breaking his grip on my arm as I turned back to him and gave him a hard stare, "It wasn't a question. And it doesn't mean I'll be traveling the world with _you._"

* * *

Inevitably, he caught up with me. We were just reaching the line for the ticket counter, impatient people all fidgeting in frustration at the wait. I frowned, would we really have to wait in line? Oh well, I guess it's just-

My thoughts cut off when I saw Klaus walking to the front of the line, earning angry glares and surprised gawking. I stood in place confused until he paused briefly to give me a look, "Caroline, you don't want to wait in line."

And then I understood what the look meant as my legs started making me follow him to the front without permission from my brain. Oh yeah, his compulsion to make me do as I wished, exactly as I truly wished. I honestly hated lines. I bit the inside of my cheek angrily as I came to stand behind him at the counter, too mad to speak- I know it was hard for him to understand, but there's something about compulsion that will always grate my nerves and unsettle me.

He took my silence for acceptance as he starting talking to the attendant working the counter.

"Hey, buddy, this line isn't just here for show! Wait your freaking turn!"

Angry shouts erupted behind us as the ticket lady started speaking while glaring at Klaus, "They're right, sir. I'm gonna have to ask you to go to the end of the line."

Klaus' whole body tensed for a second, calculating something, before he took off, faster than the human eye could see, running to every person in line and muttering something, looking straight in their eyes. Compelling every one of them in two minutes. I glared at his back as the lady before us stared in shock, unable to make a sentence.

When he returned, the line was quiet. Not a single complaint out of any of them. Klaus smiled charmingly at her, flashing his deceptive dimples while leaning over the counter to meet her eyes, "I'd like two first class tickets on the 7 o' clock for St. Petersburg, please, Sweetheart."

My brain randomly noted that I'd never heard him call anyone 'love' but me, although he threw around his other endearments like master tools.

The woman's anger must have overridden the shock, "Like hell. I don't know what you just did, but I'm calling security."

His smirk became a full blown grin as he locked his blue orbs onto the lady's angry brown eyes, "No. You will not call security. You will hand me those tickets I asked for and then you will forget you ever saw us."

There was a second of pause before the woman blinked emptily, her face drained of all emotion as she hit three buttons on the machine and handed two tickets to Klaus without a word.

"Klaus, you can't just-"

Before I could finish my protest, he had grabbed my arm tightly and suddenly we were in a different area of the airport altogether. The lines and the counter was gone, replaced by restaurants and gift shops.

I yanked my arm roughly out of his hold, getting tired of having to do that, "Klaus! What the hell was that? I know for a fact that you could have paid for first class tickets for everyone in that line and your checking account wouldn't even notice the hit!"

He shrugged, "I've told you before- it's useless to have this power and never use it. You'll realize soon that money is really not necessary for…actually…._anything_ anymore. It accumulates over the years, but neither me or my siblings really require our wealth."

"But it was completely unnecessary! I understand not wanting to wait in line, but you could've paid for the tickets just as quickly as compelling for them."

He rolled his eyes, "Did you not listen to what I just said?"

I took a step closer to him, putting my eye line directly in his face, "There's a _difference _between not _listening _and not _agreeing." _

I could see a deep frown set on his face before I started walking away again, not really knowing where I was going, but going there regardless.

"Caroline," he called as he fell into step beside me, "…Why does compulsion effect you this way? You didn't yell at me this much for killing the entire hotel staff…"

I cut my eyes to him and raised my eyebrows dubiously, "Do you really think bringing that up again is going to help your case here?"

His face dropped to a glare, he clearly was not in the mood to indulge my deflection. He was getting too good at seeing through me. I didn't like discussing this issue…

I sighed, shaking my head as I walked on, "Ok, fine. I do have a…particular problem with compulsion specifically. Not that your murder really sets right with me at all…" I trailed off, frowning at why that didn't bother me as much anymore as it clearly should have.

His face lightened as it settled into listening. I took a deep breath and refused to make eye contact with him.

_Just keep walking and talking. It's over. Shit happens. You can talk about it. _

"I was compelled. Before…when I was human. When I was girly little Caroline. A vampire used me for my blood," I laughed bitterly, "I mean, he sweet-talked me at first, of course. Gave me come hither eyes across the bar. I was stupid enough then to fall right into him…" I cleared my throat, "Anyway, I slept with him. That was probably his plan all along. And I could've handled just that. I'd been a one night stand before. But when I woke up…he bit me. I screamed and he compelled me to be quiet. I even threw a lamp at him," I smirked remembering the pissed off look on Damon's face, "But he just…threw me down and…" I swallowed, getting off track, too into the memory I'd tried to block since then.

I tried to shake the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach off, "Nevermind. That part isn't the point. I just was trying to explain why it bothers me. Compulsion, that is. It upsets me because I can still _remember_ how it feels to be forced to be an empty case. To obey and not understand why you're doing it. You're like a shell…So forgive me if I can't yet tolerate seeing that done to other people."

When I finally dared to look at Klaus' face, his expression shocked me; I was not expecting his reaction. I thought he'd be bored of the story or try to defend his case of why compelling didn't do any harm, that it was our natural right as predators or something. But he did none of that. He only stood there looking at me, a cross between rage, disbelief, and horror on his face.

I stared, confused, at his reaction. Why on Earth would he be mad at me for that story?

"Who?"

His voice was quiet, but that didn't make it sound any less deadly. There as a look in his eyes that was becoming more lethal the longer he meditated over whatever he was thinking about.

"What?"

His question seemed irrelevant to me.

He clenched his jaw, "Who was the vampire that compelled you, Caroline?"

He seemed to have to use a lot of effort to slow his words down.

"It doesn't matter anymore. He can't hurt me and I got back at him. Why are you so-"

"Caroline!"

His shout disrupted the flow of the milling crowds. People around us stared as they walked by, some stopping to see what the commotion was about.

I looked around nervously, "I-it was Damon, but why does it matter?"

His fists clenched by his sides, "If you actually care what happens to that bastard, you should call Elena right now and tell her to tell Damon to go somewhere I can't find him."

I was taken aback by his whole reaction, "But we're still going to Russia, right? You can't exactly tear his limbs off from a different continent."

He took a deep breath and refused to meet my eyes, still walking beside me, but visibly controlling himself, "Oh, I still _plan _to go to Russia, but I might start thinking about your story too much on the plane and the pilot might suddenly have to make a detour. Damon Salvatore should be thanking his lucky stars that I already have someone else's shit to deal with right now."

I shook my head, still slightly in shock at his overwhelming anger, "You have major anger issues, you know that?"

His eyes snapped to me and there was something in them that I couldn't name that almost scared the shit out of me; he was like a chemical reaction that I'd unbalanced, that would suddenly explode if pushed the wrong way.

"I know that I can't be held responsible for my actions when someone does something that unacceptable."

I paused, "…Um, I understand why it's unacceptable to me, but I thought you didn't have a problem with compulsion?"

"I don't," he stated flatly, "I have a problem with idiots scarring beauty."

* * *

Klaus' POV

I leaned back into my seat, closing my eyes and forcing myself to think of other things than that Salvatore's heart in my hands. Bloody moron.

I opened my eyes after a few moments to see Caroline staring out the window beside me, "Love, you're in first class. You don't have to sit straight up or be proper. Relax."

She shifted around for a second, hesitance in her eyes before she answered me, "I'm not uncomfortable, it's just…I'm thirsty. I forgot to grab a blood bag from the cooler before we went to the mall."

My eyes lit with amusement as I stared at my baby vampire, so careless in taking care of her own needs, "Oh, Sweetheart, when will you learn to tend to your own needs like a real vampire?"

She glared at me and crossed her arms, laying back in her seat and closing her eyes before hissing, rather petulantly if you ask me, "I'll just get one when we land. I can deal with it."

I rolled my eyes and snorted derisively. I suppose I can be condescending sometimes…

I smirked and leaned closer to her, breathing into her ear, "You only ever need to ask, love. "

She eyed me cautiously, "What are you talking about? You didn't bring any bags _onto _the plane…did you?"

The half hopeful gleam in her eye made me laugh, a low sound, although it wouldn't disturb anyone if it hadn't been- we ended being the only ones with tickets for this section…how convenient.

"No, Caroline. I'm not _that _ tactless."

"Then how-"

I quieted her by placing a finger to my lips, "You'll see."

I raised a hand subtly, the sign for needing assistance. Just as per routine, a flight attendant came over to our seats with a smile on her young face. She was tall and skinny with shining dark hair. I preferred feeding from blondes, but she'd do. I paused and almost laughed at myself when I realized _why _I had developed a blonde fettish in my feeding over the last few months. Interesting.

"What do you need, sir?"

I smiled cordially at the girl, thanking her silently for her politeness. I knew Caroline could sense the mocking edge to it, but the gesture amused me all the same, even if it annoyed the baby vampire beside me.

I lifted myself to my full height, staring into the attendant's eyes, "Give me your wrist and stay silent."

Caroline glared at me from my side, probably thinking the moral of her story earlier had go unheard by me. She was wrong. I know understood why she had a distaste for compulsion. And I agreed with her- unnecessarily abusing the humans you feed from and demeaning them is completely vulgar, but simply compelling to prevent a scene, just to get a little blood harmlessly, without causing the victim much pain…I see that as more of a convenience, not something for her to get upset over. I had slept with and killed my feeds before as well, but she didn't need to know that. Because this was not that.

I lifted her wrist in front of Caroline's delightful rose-bud lips and commanded with one word, "Bite."

I knew she wanted to; I could see the bloodlust in her eyes. The combination of her preexistent thirst with the scene of the young attendant's blood was getting to her.

She gritted her teeth, trying pointlessly to resist for a moment before she looked directly at me, "You're an ass, you know that? I told you I don't like compulsion, and you do it right in my face and enforce the compulsion you placed on me _again._"

But she bit into the girl's wrist before I responded back, "What that dick did to you, Caroline, was abuse. And I completely understand why you're against that. But this, taking a harmless amount of blood from a human who won't even remember the slight pain, is not the same. Yes, we're using this girl, but we are not hurting her."

Her eyes flickered to mine with her teeth embedded into the girl's skin and the heated look she gave me made me want to join the mile high club. The sudden desirous reaction threw me off; I wasn't used to be turned on and off like a switch.

I shook off the reaction as I put a hand in her hair, pulling on it enough to tell her to stop, "Let go, love."

She continued drinking for a few seconds more before grudgingly tearing herself away from the power of the blood.

I smiled at her as she wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand, "Easy, Caroline," I was slightly confused as to why my voice sounded like a purr, "Good."

"What was the point of that? I wasn't _that _thirsty and before you say it, no I wasn't ravenous just now, I was acting from the compulsion."

I laughed and shook my head, pulling the girl's dripping red wrist in front of me, "Yes, love," I nodded, "I know that. It wasn't a insult to your control. I'm simply showing you a luxury."

Before she could ask another question, I picked up the complementary glass of wine that was sat at the small table before me, taking a sip and appreciating the taste for a moment before pouring it into the trash bin beside my seat and placing the girl's wrist above my glass. I watched as the drops of crimson fell into the glass, soon filling it halfway. I stopped and did the same for Caroline's glass before setting it back down on the table before her.

I stared into the girl's eyes once more, "Forget."

I bit my own wrist and force fed the attendant a few drops of my blood and watched as the bite marks healed. I forgot about the girl before she walked away.

I looked at Caroline as I tipped my glass back, savoring the metallic taste of the hot blood as it ran down my throat. I felt the veins around my eyes growing tighter as I raised an eyebrow at Caroline in invitation, "Drink. It's not a crime. We're allowed to be intoxicated in first class," I winked at her as I leaned back and enjoyed my glass.

She raised an eyebrow, probably suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, seeing as that is her most common reaction to my words, "…I understand the whole compelling and not harming thing," she looked at the attendant's back for a moment as she walked into the business class, "And don't think this means I'm okay with it, but just so you know- there is no alcohol in this blood. I'm pretty sure we can't get 'intoxicated' off of this."

I didn't bother to open my eyes or sit up as I chuckled, genuinely amused this time, "Caroline, you should realize by now that it's easier for a vampire to get inebriated off of blood than alcohol."

She looked down, trying not to laugh I could tell, but probably not enjoying her own reaction to me, "I might run when we land," she mumbled, maybe not meaning for me to hear.

"I know," she could only run away if she truly wanted to, I was fairly certain there was a part of her that wanted to stay, but I was prepared if there wasn't, "I'd catch you."

"I know."

I looked over to her once, smirking as she stared at her hands in her lap before briefly looking at me out of the side of her eyes, a strange glare on her face, somehow accompanied by a slight smirk, making quite the devilish expression, "Ass."

I snorted and closed my eyes again, "Drink your blood, Caroline."

I could hear her take a sip from her glass. I smiled.

* * *

St. Petersburg. I always loved this city. Possibly because it reflects a large part of my temperament-archaic, gothic, serious and classic, impressive on a grand scale, retaining its simplicity. Well, in retrospect, _I _am notthat simple. I see why the wolves like it here-the weather is cold enough so that no one goes out at night. Perfect to hide their little problem every full moon. Perhaps it would bother me as well if I hadn't long since learned how to control it.

"This is not what I expected."

I looked to my left and I briefly thought an angel was speaking to me. _When angels and devils collide…_

I shook my head and smirked darkly as I rid myself of the misguided thought, "And what were you expecting, Sweetheart?"

She tilted her head, musing on the questioning, the shallow winter light coming through the Russian clouds glimmered down into her hair as we walked along an icy river. I could have easily called a car or used my speed to run us and our bags to the hotel, but I enjoyed this place. I wanted to walk.

"Well, you _did _mention Paris once…but this is beautiful, actually. In its own ancient sort of way. It looks like… a lot _happened_ here. This city would have character without its residents, wouldn't it?"

Her gaze cut into me as if she was expecting me to know. She had surmised from my choice to bring us here first that I must like this city and have frequented it a lot, therefore I would know much about it. She had also summarized why this city was what it was without having been here for over a few hours. The cliché 'dumb blonde' suddenly seemed ludicrous to me.

For a reason I couldn't ascertain, I was unnerved. For the first time in many years.

I nodded minutely, looking at her with a hard gaze, "Indeed it would. Our hotel is just around the corner."

She had no idea how much history this city had, particularly for me. And she won't know, if I have anything to do with the matter. Which I always do.

She frowned at me, angry for some reason I couldn't fathom, and didn't truly care about at the moment. I started to run inhumanly fast, but stopped when she didn't follow.

"Love, I know it's a beautiful view, but you can't expect to find the hotel if you don't follow me," I shrugged, "But, it's your choice. If you enjoy being cold…."

It was a sarcastic remark, but I felt my subconscious had woven two meanings into my last sentence. Why would I be angry with her for showing me the icy side of her personality lately? I hadn't behaved in any way to warrant different treatment. Actually, we both seemed to enjoy being nasty to the other.

She arched one perfectly light eyebrow, "I will stay out here as long as I like."

"I could force you…"

"Yes you could."

Her eyes were unafraid. I was realizing lately that her face was a mask when she does that; she hides herself as a defense. I didn't know how to feel about that, except some vague form of irritation.

"You think I'll restrain myself? Why?"

"Not sure. Maybe because if you were going to hurt me, you would've buy now. Or maybe this city has just put you in a good mood," at my incredulous look, she amended, "Yes, I noticed; you like it here."

I laughed, her innocence amused me at times. Maybe that was why I took her…

"Love, I don't have to harm you to force you into _anything_…not in the way you'd think, anyway."

I left her with that comment as I walked at a regular speed to the gilded doors of the hotel. She would come.

"Oh stop being so vague, Mr. Mystery!"

I stopped, laughed, and looked at her over my shoulder, "I'm not. You know exactly what I meant. It's not vague if both parties understand the innuendo."

"Then why walk away? You never let me end an argument."

For a second, my mind shifted to my plans for this evening, and how much she _could not_ be there.

That instinct that I didn't understand made me angry at the thought and I projected it onto her, "Because I know you will come inside eventually. And I have a meeting soon and do not actually have time to wait for you to finish with your remarks."

She frowned; I'd noticed she hates to not know things. This should be fun.

"A meeting?" she raised an eyebrow and somehow made it insulting.

I only grinned, "Yes, love. In proper English definitions it's described as a rendezvous of sorts with one or more persons of each party having something to discuss."

"And you have what to discuss with whom?"

I smirked, "Private details, love. Perhaps you'll persuade them out of me later. I have to go change now. Don't wait up, though, Sweetheart-I'll be home late."

With a wink, I sped away.

* * *

The room was dark, most likely because it was underground, under a very old castle. I used to own this one actually…I knew all of these men's ancestors. The air was humid and cold and torches lit the walls as we sat around an old, thick wooden table.

"I don't see how the logistics of this would work!"

"Now, Adrian, listen. Sir Niklaus may be onto something."

"Vampires are _always _up to something.

"Alek, stop patronizing! He is only part leech. You forget he is also our kind."

I thought the respect, well it was mixed really, I was receiving was more likely due to the fact that I was rich and extremely dangerous, rather than because I was 'one of them'. I restrained myself from rolling my eyes. _Pack mentality really is pathetic… _

The eldest of the pack, a middle-aged man with a rough brown beard and short cropped hair looked across the table at me with dark, animalistic eyes, "Run over the specifics of the deal again, Mr. Mikaelson."

I noted the attempt to use modern formal addresses instead of the archaic ones he usually slips into, passed down from ancestors. I always knew werewolves could also live to be over a hundred years old, but I'd never met any this old. It also doesn't help that three fourths of this underground society were legacies-these wolves truly do keep it in the family. Can't blame them though, if they have been basically running the crime world of Russia for decades without anyone noticing, they must be doing something right. Why switch leadership?

"It's simple really, gentlemen. You are all aware of what I am. And I am very capable of either sharing that gift with you or ripping out a few of your necks. Mind you, this would be a trial run. If it gets…sticky, you are all entitled to run away with your tails between your legs. I would turn about 10 of you into hybrids and I would privately hire you out to help with some of my less public business affairs. In return. If after a few weeks, you all favor the arrangement; you would all get the power of being hybrids, not to mention a generous, monthly donation to your organization."

"And what exactly is entailed in your business ventures, Niklaus?"

The annoying, petulant one spoke up. Aleksi was it?

"Aleksi!" _Yes then,_ "Stop this rudeness. You know you must use the proper addresses for clients."

"Yes father," he looked down, "I just wanted to know what we'd be asked to do, though," he was still glaring at me.

Blood-dealing. The main part of my business, besides the other companies I own and my siblings side projects. It was the answer he suspected, but the one deal breaker he didn't want to hear.

So I stayed silent, "That's not part of the deal. You agree…or you don't."

"Just like that?"

"Well, I personally suggest you agree. After all, I can be very _persuasive_," I growled, hoping he'd know to back down; I didn't particularly feel like beating him into submission at the moment.

"But how do we even know this guy is what he says he is? I'm not sure about you, but I for one have never met a 'hybrid'. All vampires I know are the same, after all-manipulate you into letting them suck you dry," a smaller, blond wolf got rather bold.

I rolled my eyes. _Oh I could certainly drain you, boy, but you don't smell very appetizing from here. _

However, the elder of the Volk (was his name Victor?) did not disagree on the young wolf's point, "Well, Sir Mikaelson…Julian _does _have a point…I have come across many vampires that have lied to seek gain from us…how do we know you are this…hybrid, you say you are?"

I rolled my eyes yet again, a gesture I probably inherited from watching Caroline do it so much. Unfortunately.

"If you insist…" I heaved a sigh before speeding into action, ripping into one of the necks of the wolf's pretty, fragile female assistants. I felt my fangs protrude and my eyes turn yellow, the veins around my eyes stinging in my face as her sweet blood ran down the corners of my mouth. _Hmm…she tastes a bit too wolfy…_

"Well, the vampire part is well proven now…hmmm, now to showcase the wolf…"

I growled as I started forcing myself to turn, my bones cracking under my skin and my nails growing out, animalistic.

"Do you want me to go through with the whole change or would you like to spare the chaos?" I groaned through the self-enforced breaking of my own body. I prided myself in my tremendous control over this aspect of myself, but it was still quite painful.

"No!" Victor shouted, probably well-aware of what the beginning of a dangerous transition looked like. And something told me he knew just how dangerous I could Victor knew everyone in the room was truly an animal, in some way or another. However much he may fear me, the eldest wolf knew a good deal when he heard one. And 'm guessing he tried to make himself respect other powerful figures…I knew he certainly didn't want to repeat what happened the _last _time he disobeyed an Original. That wasn't even my story to tell, though. Kol's actually. _He probably wanted to repress that memory, _I thought as I straightened up back to my regular height and smirked at them all. As infuriating as I probably was to them, he would agree to my proposition. He didn't seem like one to repeat his youthful mistakes out of anger.

He cleared his throat, "I mean-that won't be necessary, Mr. Mikaelson. We believe you," he looked around the room at the younger members, looking at them in such a way that they all knew they were supposed to agree. The whole room nodded subtly, like dogs with wounded pride. Well, some of them looked excited at the prospect of the new power I offered them.

"Very well, gentleman, I will return in a few days for-

"This is who you were meeting with?"

Her voice broke through the tense atmosphere as all heads turned to stare at the blonde standing in the doorway. I saw their faces change as they used their enhanced sense of smell to realize she was, indeed, a vampire.

My eyes widened involuntarily, which was a rare thing to happen, as anger bled into my veins and traitor fear-and this fear was singularly unique because for once, it wasn't for myself- seeped into my blood. I was powerful. I was strong and invincible. I knew that; these men, these _wolves, _could not hurt me. But they could hurt her. And from the expressions on their idiotic faces, they wanted to.

"Caroline!" I roared, "Get out of here!"

Victor stood, suddenly not seeming nearly as subdued as he was a minute before, and growled the words out, "You know that _leech_, Mikaelson?"

I briefly noted the formal tone was gone, before my body inadvertently placed me between Caroline and all the wolves, "_Yes,"_ I whipped my head around to glare at Caroline, "Unfortunately."

Her fierce gaze pierced back into mine, "You didn't honestly expect me to stay in the room the whole night waiting on you, did you?!"

I glared at her more, wishing I could communicate to her with my eyes that s_he should not be here_. I turned back around to assess the situation, only to find that the wolves had all risen from their seats and were now stepping closer to the only vampire in the room. _Caroline. _

"Step aside, Niklaus. We must rid the Earth of her poison."

If the situation was different, I would've rolled my eyes at their radical views. As it was, I couldn't figure out what to attribute this crippling, furious fear to.

I looked back over my shoulder to Caroline once more, staring at her; she was crazy for still being here. Why didn't she run? Did she have a death wish?

"_Caroline!_ Do you actually _want _to die? GET OUT!"

She must have discerned from the look on my face how serious the situation was, and with one last hard glare at me-damn girl- she turned on her heel and sped from the room.

Once she had left, I face back towards the wolves, wondering if they were backing away suddenly because they saw the fire in my eyes. My fists curled in with a strength like iron running through my veins.

"I know you're not the actual leader, Victor."

He stepped up to my face and tilted his chin upwards, "Why on Earth would you think that?"

Without warning, he was up against the stone wall with my hand tight around his neck. I was forcing myself not to kill him on the spot, "I do my research, dog. Your society always has a decoy leader. Now…you will tell me," I felt my pupils dilating as the power compulsion came into play, "_Who is your actual leader?"_

He stared down at me blankly as I rubbed his back roughly into the wall, "His name is Adrienne Marce."

The moment the name slipped from his lips, I dropped him to the cold floor, speeding over to the younger wolves, "Give me this Adrienne's address and a list of the names of the rest of your members, along with where to find them. "

They stared at me blankly until I slammed my fist onto the table, not able to take their silence, "As I told your decoy, I .research. I know you keep everything documented. Not very wise, but I'll blame it on the pack mentality. Now give the papers to me within the next three seconds or I will rip your heads from your bodies."

The young men glared daggers at me, making me roll my eyes when they tried to strike at me at the same time, attempting to overwhelm me.

I growled as I caught their swinging arms, breaking their wrists quickly and enjoying their loud groans of pain as I pushed them to the floor.

"Well, they won't be using their hands for a while…does someone else feel like cooperating and handing me these papers?"

I looked around the room for a few seconds before a timid looking, blonde boy ran to the back of the room, pushing a hidden button in the wall, and watching the wall spin out to reveal the opposite side. A bookshelf full of papers and journals, I assumed. He quickly scanned the shelves, pulling out two old, brown tattered books and rushing forward to put them in my waiting hands.

I smiled, "Very good, boy. Now _you _at least get to live."

All the eyes in the room widened in horror as I extended my fangs with a growl and snapped my head to the left, starting with the obnoxious one named Alek, ripping his throat out.

* * *

Klaus' POV

"Why did you do that, Caroline? You could've gotten yourself killed! It would've ruined my deal!"

"Why?" Her question was like a flame thrown into the air and her tone implied that she expected me to catch it. I didn't know what she was getting at, and I hated being thrown off.

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me!" Her eyes burned into mine and the flimsy human saying of 'eyes being the windows to the soul' flitted through my head for a second, "Why would it ruin whatever _deal _you were 'negotiating'? You could've just kept right on talking with them!"

I stared at her, and for the first time since I met her, something disturbing occurred to me, because I knew she was right; even though she'd interrupted the meeting, even if she'd gotten hurt or killed, it was logical for her to think that I would've just continued on with my dealings…But I wouldn't have. And the reason for that fact was slowly emerging in the back of my subconscious and I briefly wondered if this was similar to how it felt for human men to have heart attacks.

She frowned, her mood changing from confused anger to confused…concern? What the hell was happening here?

"Klaus…what…are you…going to say anything?"

Her question wasn't angry this time, just…a question. Simple and confused, searching for an answer. One I couldn't- or rather, didn't want- to give her. My mouth wouldn't move.

I shook my head, my eyes hard and I opened my mouth to answer her, "No, I…" I swallowed, "I think I'll be going to bed now."

She looked at me half-angry that I'd abruptly ended the incomplete conversation and half mystified to my sudden change in behavior. I felt a pang of…something in my chest that compelled me to give her a little consolation, "Uh…if you are hungry, there are blood bags in the refrigerator-I had Nathan restock it a couple days ago."

She blinked, looking at me like she questioned my sanity. To be honest, I did too. God, I need a scotch.

* * *

Once I was away from the intense pressure of her eyes, lying on top of the covers of my bed with a tumbler in my hand, I let out a breath. I tried to analyze this like I do any problem that arises in my life. If Caroline had come in at a different time, when the wolves were particularly angry…if she'd gotten herself killed by one of them or by any number of the other reckless shit she's been participating in lately…How would I react? It was a question I most likely knew the answer to, but didn't _want_ to answer. Before even forming the words in my head, a twisting pressure in my gut caught me off guard just at the thought. And something in my head…I'm not really sure what it was, but the most accurate word would be s_creamed_.

I took a deep breath and shook my head. This was ridiculous. Why was I hiding in my room like an incompetent child? For pity's sake, she was only a baby vampire. I was starting to become angry; I could feel the ire rising up in my throat, wanting to be released with a shout. I rose off my bed quickly and threw my door open before speeding down the hall to her room. I had thought choosing my largest house, and putting our rooms far apart would be good for my concentration. I realized now it didn't matter.

And once again, I stormed into her room.

"What the bloody hell are you trying to do?!" I shouted the inquiry at her prone, sleeping form, her hair splayed out in golden waves over her white silk-covered pillow.

She jolted awake, her hair flying up around her shoulder for an infinitesimal second before falling onto her back, her eyes found me in the dark immediately, and with the light coming in from her window, I could plainly see the cornflower blue in her eyes igniting at me. I loved making them do that.

"What the fuck?!" She looked around the room, trying to take stock of her surroundings once again after being forced out of her sleep.

She put a hand to her head, rubbing her forehead and splaying her fingers back through her hair, "What am I trying to do?" Her voice was incredulous, "I was sleeping, Klaus! I wasn't doing _anything_; what the hell are _you _doing?"

I rolled my eyes, still fuming, my fists clenched beside me, "Caroline, you are perfectly aware that as vampires neither of us even require much sleep. Besides, I was referring to your idiotic stunts the past week or so."

She rose slowly from her bed, pushing the covers off and cautiously walking towards me; I guess she must have picked up on the unusual edge in my voice. It really irritated me that she was able to do that. Elijah, and occasionally Bekah, were the only ones who could do that…normally.

She raised one eyebrow inquisitively, "Klaus…what happened?"

I took a step back from her, glaring at her in defense, "Nothing happened. What are you talking about, Sweetheart?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed wearily, "I know I'm blond, but why does everyone have to assume that means I'm not perceptive? You tend to avoid using my name when you're upset with me or deflecting."

I blinked. How could she notice things about me that I myself never picked up on? I didn't consciously do that…

This only made me irrationally, more angry, "That is not the point, _Caroline_! You know what I'm talking about-you've risked your life on countless occasions lately. Why?!"

Her eyes froze over as if she'd just remembered why she was angry with me or something, "You wouldn't care even if I told you."

"What?!" This woman made absolutely no sense to me sometimes, "Wouldn't care about what, Caroline?"

She glared, "You've proven you can use my real name, can you move on from being petty now?"

"Shut up and answer me!" I growled, gripping her arms tight enough to bruise in my hands.

She flinched hard, trying to slip out of my hands. I would've laughed at the effort she put into it if I wasn't currently half way to losing my mind from anger and confusion.

"It was a test, okay?!" She yelled in my face as if she was admitting something that embarrassed her and she was pissed to be forced to reveal it, "I needed to know if you even cared-if you only brought me along to break me, so to speak, into embracing my vampirism, and after you achieved that…you just got bored. Didn't you?" She spit the last two words into my face, pushing herself into my personal space even more, a subconscious attempt to intimidate me.

I couldn't speak. I was so fucking _furious _at her idiocy that I couldn't form coherent sentences. Would she actually rather die and prove to me that I'm an arse than live and let me win? Was this baby vampire insane, suicidal? And that inconvenient, overwhelming tide tried to overtake me again at the notion of her carelessly giving up her life. The brunt of it was anger, but…there was something hiding behind the anger, and that was the feeling that unsettled me, made me want to throw her into a wall and leave, never to see her again. It would certainly be easier than t_his_. Whatever the hell this was.

"Are you a blathering idiot or just completely mad?"

The hysterical note to my voice, admittedly, frightened me as the irate question hung in the air between us. She was looking at me like she was deciding whether to punch me or storm out of the room. I actually couldn't decide which one I prefer she choose.

She huffed, shaking her head and chewing on her lip furiously like she does when she's too angry to speak, and…I think I saw a trace of tears in her eyes, "I'm obviously not either if I was right."

I rolled my eyes heavily and shook my head in frustration, taking in a deep breath to attempt to control myself…it didn't exactly work.

In the next second, I had her pinned against the wall with one arm across her chest and the other fist pounding a hole into the wall beside her head, "Why would you be _right?_! Are you fucking blind?"

_We must both be idiots…_The thought went through my head before I processed what it meant. But I did know now that inviting her with me, well I say inviting, was a dangerous choice on my part.

She shoved her elbow into my chest, actually knocking me back a foot, caught off guard, and she took a step away from the wall, "I'm _right _because every action, every word you've said recently has proved to me that ' .a._fuck._"

…

She just…Oh damn it all to hell!

I pulled her roughly against me and slammed her back into the wall with my hands gripping her waist tightly and my mouth not capable of leaving hers. The fire I had grown familiar with infused its way into my veins and I growled as I felt the veins protrude around my eyes. She gave just as good as she got, pushing against me-she was attempting to overpower me and flip us. How amusing. I bit her lip as a silent punishment to inform her that she should stop trying. She growled back at me, an equally animalistic sound that had me hardening against her leg.

I groaned, "What the hell are you doing?"

She pulled back for a second, painting against my chest as she looked up at me, "What?" she managed.

"To me?" I mumbled against her collarbone, sucking the sweet skin of her neck into my mouth and using considerable willpower to not sink my teeth into her intoxicating skin.

She pulled back once again, pushing her hands against my chest to inform me that she was serious and that I probably shouldn't continue on ravishing her yet. Damn.

"No, Klaus, what the hell are _we_ doing? Every time we try to have a real conversation, one of us gets frustrated and we end up just fucking against a wall, or the kitchen counter, or the living room floor, or a dressing room…."

"….Do you have a point, love?" My voice was dark, impatient as she rambled-reminding me of all the places I've been inside her was rather distracting and probably not her intended goal.

"Yes!" she yelled and the atmosphere changed again instantly, "We need to _finish _this conversation, especially this one, because if we don't, I can't do this anymore!"

I stepped back from her, like I'd been burned by her chill, "What do you wish me to say?" I put my hands up in mock surrender.

She stared at me, scared and annoyed, "I want you to answer one question for me-If I was wrong, if you're not bored of me, why does it make you so angry when I'm reckless?"

My jaw locked up instantly like she'd punched me with all her might. I'd rather she had.

She stared at me, waiting, the expectant look in her eyes making my mind refuse to work through the answer to the question she wanted. I shook my head, irritatingly embarrassed that I couldn't verbally answer her.

She took a step towards me, her face two inches from mine, and she tilted her chin up to meet my eyes, "Klaus…answer the question," she invoked softly and her hand started to raise to my face. No. She does not get to do that.

I shot my hand up to catch her wrist before it touched my skin, "No," I gritted out through my teeth, "You can't touch me…not right now."

"Why?!" She demanded intensely, trying to break her hand free. Why does she always resist when she knows it's useless? Her damned optimism.

I felt something bubbling in my chest and pushing its way up my throat before I could stop it, "Because I can't think!"

My outburst shocked her, she gasped and continued staring up at me, blinking every few seconds, she licked her lip and swallowed, looking scared to ask what she obviously wanted to, "Why not?"

I was well aware that if I didn't answer her honestly, she would turn around, pack her things, and leave, never speak to me again. But I couldn't answer her without admitting it to myself, and I was not sure I could do that, not sure I knew how to deal with that. I was so used to always knowing more than anyone I meet about anything, any area-dominating, history, battle, science, etc.- but I had now stumbled across probably the only one subject in the world that I had not a clue about. Feeling something. For someone else…

I felt my breath start to grow heavier as my heart pounded unnecessarily faster against my ribs, I felt my lungs caving in. So this is why I always avoided this, the truth, any form of caring, anything like this…I was wise to reject it before. What had I done? I suddenly realized I hadn't done anything; I hadn't asked for this. It was just a fatal domino effect since the day saving her life became a small part of one of my schemes. I couldn't have fought it.

"Because…I wouldn't carry on with my dealings if you'd have died... Because your foolish idea of almost letting yourself get _killed _just to prove a bloody point…it makes me want to throw you into something and scream in your face that you're an idiot!"

She frowned at me, her brow puckering in the middle like a confused child, not helping my urge to shake her into clarity.

"Oh, I'm stupid now? I swear, Klaus if you tell a 'dumb blonde' joke-"

I gritted my teeth, hopelessly trying to deny what I was coming to understand about us, "You just…you don't even understand yet."

"Understand what?" She snapped, "Enlighten me."

"I can't _let_ you get yourself hurt just to win an argument, Caroline."

"And why not?" Her eyes were dark and demanding, daring me to chose my words wisely. I felt like if I said one wrong word, she'd run and never come back.

"I'm a horribly selfish man, Caroline."

I was hoping that weird connection she seemed to have to my motivations may come into play, help her analyze what I actually meant.

It seemed to fail as she blinked at me, still waiting, "Klaus…if I got hurt, you wouldn't have to-"

"It would hurt _me_."

* * *

**A/n: **_Ooo cliffies, don't do those much. But I kind of like it…Drama! Anyways, I asked WrecklessRighter about this, but I felt you guys should have a say too- not that I don't trust your opinion, lovey Dee. So, I'm considering doing Caroline's POV of following Klaus to his meeting with the Volk, but should it be in next chapter or a deleted scene posted separately? Or scrap all of it? Also, I tried to incorporate some of my lovely reviewers ideas into the airplane scene. I would've done the mile high club, but I didn't necessarily think smut fit for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed anyway. _

_Oh and excuse me if I butchered the airport etiquette. I, like Caroline, have never actually been inside an airport and really don't know what you do exactly besides what I see in movies. _


	7. Everything Changes (preview)

**A/n: **_Alright, I've been horrible and I feel horrible for it- throw stones at me or whatever modern punishment you see fit for not updating regularly like AT ALL. I've just been so busy you don't even know, and when I wasn't, I lost all inspiration. Anyway, this isn't even the full chapter- sucks I know- but you all deserve at least a sneak peak. I've been putting off writing the last half 'cause it's intimidating-you'll see why- but when I do have it done it's hopefully going to be awesome and very important for their progress in the story. Yay. _

_Oh and I know you all want to just get quickly to what happens after Klaus' big confession- and it is in this chapter- but first I thought it'd be fun to rewind a little and show you Caroline's POV of following Klaus. Ok maybe I just enjoy writing her thoughts too much and this might not have as much to do with the plot as it should. Hopefully you'll forgive me for being loopy, it's midnight right now. And plus, I think it's good to see both sides of how Klaroline react to each other. _

_And as always, ideas and suggestions are encouraged. _

Caroline's POV

Seriously? He thinks he can just make some kind of twisted joke out of a campy expression, wink and then run off? He can't seriously expect me to just sit in this-okay seriously beautiful- hotel room waiting for him to return like some kind of puppy, or worse, like one of his hybrids. I was going to investigate, however foolish that may be... However much I wanted to go up to the room and take a long bubble bath to maybe calm myself a bit from the _ohmygod_-ness ringing in my head that this day had induced. Or ok it was just Klaus himself that had induced it, but it's easier for me to deal with all of _this _if I stubbornly and persistently deny to myself the fact that he can affect me.

So naturally, I followed him. I ignored the fact that it might not be my best deicion because honestly if the meeting was of the safe and happy variety then it wouldn't be in the middle of the night and he wouldn't have purposely not mentioned it until the last minute. But lately I'd gotten the nagging whisper in the back of my mind saying that Klaus was going to get bored of me soon and...dispose of me the only way a man like him really knows how. I'm not being insecure or paranoid; it just makes sense. He admitted that he only brought me along- wait he kidnapped me, right, still angry about that- because I was a challenge and I unsettled him. Now that I'd let him um...yeah again, I'm not the best decision maker. Well now the challenge was obviously gone.

I'm not moping, but seriously this is Klaus, if you're not of any use to him, you normally don't live that long. And honestly, it pissed me off. I don't know what it was, but that nagging in the back of my head didn't just scare me, it upset me, made me mad. At him. Because how was I supposed to know if he even cared? I didn't want to go travelling around with someone who wouldn't give a flying fuck if I jumped off a bridge. The speculating was useless because i could never escape him- and I wasn't sure anymore if I really wanted to at all. And that was what was bugging me; if I irrationally had formed some sort of sick attachment to him and he didn't care at all...then I'd just fallen into another one of my classic Caroline Forbes situations where I'm with he wrong guy and don't notice until half way in that he was never even into me in the first place- Stefan, Matt, Tyler...I just couldn't do that again. And I was aware that even putting Klaus in that former category of guys was foolish, twisted, and sort of cringe worthy, or laugh worthy, I wasn't sure.

As I crept along the dark, cobble-stone paved roads after him in the Russian night, I felt idiotically like I was in one of those old timey spy movies I used to love. It was a horrible time to be thinking of that, but something about the cold wind hitting my face reminded me of cinematography. I bit my lip as a small vein of fear made its way into my mind- and actually, it should be a lot more than 'little'- when Klaus weaved his way farther into the seedy-looking part of the city. Ok, it's St. Petersburg, everywhere looks old and kind of creepy in a cool way, but it was cold and dark and I had no idea when he was going to stop or if he had actually noticed me following him ages ago and was leading me into some abandoned street corner to finally kill me. I know he said he didn't want to kill me, but reminder- the man has major bipolar issues.

Finally he turned onto a street that led to a large looking gothic castle at the end of the road that had high arched windows and steepled roofs slanting over different sections and columns. If I wasn't currently half-scared and half-frozen, I would've loved the building.

When we reached the end of the road, he didn't turn to the door to walk in, instead he opted to go around back and I watched intently as he found a hidden drop door in the lower section of one black, crumbling wall, and dropped through it. Oh, wait...I know I'm a vampire now, but...dropping into an unkown pit in the middle of the night? Not sure I'm okay with that. But I jumped anyway. Because I'm not girly Caroline, I'm Caroline Forbes in Russia with Klaus Mikaelson. I'm 'sweetheart' and 'love' apparently, and maybe I should just accept that...

I pushed the plaguing thoughts out of my head with a deep breath before I bent down and picked up the moldy trap door he just had, looked down once into the darkness, before closing my eyes and dropping through.

Plop. _Well, that was anticlimactic_, I thought as I stood and brushed myself off. I looked up and the moonlit black sky was visible through the trap door that was only actually like five feet or so up. I had to hunch a little as I walked and quickly realized that this was a set of underground tunnels that had probably been dug out hundreds of years ago. The smell wasn't the most pleasant, but I felt in charge of my life for once. I felt empowered because I was choosing to disobey him. In the middle of the murky tunnels, I felt vindicated, as silly as that sounds.

I had to pay close attention to not lose him in the tunnels or have myself be seen or noticed by his impeccable senses. Really, I was quite impressed with myself actually. That is, until I saw him turn to the right where a door was letting out low gold light that I assumed must be coming from torches or something. ( Or maybe they'd randomly figured out how to install electricity down here, but judging from the lack of um...decor, I'd say not.)

I walked right up to the door, but stayed outside. I'm not a total idiot. I decided to listen in on the conversation instead. From what I gathered, these men were some ancient werewolf pack, probably had something to do with what Kol had called him here for in the first place...

After fifteen minutes, I got tired of waiting and tired of the weirdly blank feeling in my stomach that notified me that what Klaus was discussing with these men- backdoor deals and hybridizing and tons of other shady immoral business- didn't bother me, or not consciously. I felt guilty for not feeling guilty or upset. How does that even work?

In an attempt to banish the stupid feelings, I decided to lash out and be reckless. I stepped into the room.

"This is who you were meeting with?"

Klaus' golden head immediately snapped around to look at me and there was some foreign emotion in his eyes that I didn't quite catch before he pushed it away, but his eyes were still wide and he was starting to glare at me. No, he doesn't get to be the mad one.

"Caroline!" His voice roared, "Get out of here!"

It was an angry and ardent plea, but he had no reason to be angry besides that I'd disobeyed him, but I always do that.

Before I could snap at him, a young, blond, scruffy werewolf stood up and glared at Klaus, "You know that leech, Mikaelson?"

_Um, excuse me, leech?!_

"Yes," Klaus bit out, his eyes glaring at me even as he stepped in front of me and blocked my view of the asshole, "Unfortunately."

"You didn't honestly expect me to stay in the room waiting on you, did you?" I glared right back at him.

His eyes immediately began boring into mine, trying to tell me something I couldn't understand, I guessed. But he looked...scared...for the first time I'd ever witnessed. And any form of fear in Klaus Mikaelson was enough to give me the message that I should run.

"Step aside, Niklaus. We must rid the Earth of here poison."

The wolf's words shocked me into a stupid paralysis.

"Caroline, do you actually want to die? Get out!"

I wasn't offended at the rude words or the tone of his voice, instead I was angry at myself for being so stupid before I was running as fast I could back to the safe hotel room where no one wanted to kill me. I should've just taken that bubble bath.

* * *

The rest of the night was a blur of strangely polite partings, yelling, and kissing, and more yelling until the last words he'd just said. It'd hurt him if I were hurt? What...but that would mean...

My head was beginning to spin. I'd spent the last week thinking that I was just being forced into being his plaything and that any feelings or anything remotely similar I'd been having towards him were ridiculous and unwarranted and...what the hell? He can't care. He's Klaus. He just doesn't do that.

"What?"

I was yet again left sounding stupid as he stared on at me with burning blue eyes.

"I," he swallowed and it was the second time ever that I'd seen that emotion in his eyes again- fear, "I didn't mean-it would just mess up the...I..."

I could only stand in the middle of my temporary bedroom, blinking up at the stuttering Original. I'd caused an Original to stutter? What world had I suddenly been transported to because it made absolutely no sense.

Klaus' POV

Why the hell had I said that? Why had I said anything? Why had I left my bedroom in the first place? Why did she have to find her way underneath my skin and why couldn't I deny it anymore? It used to be much easier to ignore than this. I wanted to believe again that it wasn't true, that I hadn't been this foolish. This is weakness, I'd perpetually drilled that into my family and myself. Now, I supposed, she was making me a hypocrite or a liar...

Damn her!

She only stared up at me, looking for answers I couldn't give and didn't want to give. Answers that I knew were there, but wished didn't exist.

"Klaus..." she stepped up to me and her cornflower blue eyes bore into mine as she stood an inch from my chest and hesitantly put a soft hand on my shoulder.

I clenched my jaw against the onslaught she caused in me, "Caroline, I told you-don't."

She stared up at me fiercely and cocked her head to the side rebelliously, "Why not? Why can't I touch you? You let me touch you before and if I remember right you actually kind of liked it."

I could tell from the sass that she was getting angry with me, but I couldn't fathom why and that was exactly why I didn't want this to happen. I couldn't do this. I couldn't do attatchment or caring. That's why I dagger my family when they endanger themselves or my plans- I can't deal with difficult situations, I can't deal with people or things actually mattering to me. _What had I done? _I repeatedly asked myself.

"That's different, Caroline..."

"Stop it!"

I stepped back, feeling as if I'd just been burned by her shout and once again hating her power to affect me, "What?" I snapped.

"That. Distancing yourself. Using my name. You never do that. And I know why you're trying it now."

I glared at her; she was assuming things about me, things she didn't have a right to understand but somehow probably did.

"You don't know anything about me, _Caroline, _so stop acting like you can read me. Stop acting like what I said meant anything."

At my words, her eyes lit up with fury and she closed the distance between us again by grabbing my shirt in her fist, "Stop. Lying. To me."

Her voice was venom and her eyes were daggers and felt the effect of both, my heart cinching tight and my face tingled like I'd been slapped.

Heat ignited in my chest as I started breathing heavier and narrowing my eyes at her again, "How would you even know, darling?"

I could tell from her eyes that she knew I was charming her with stinging words to mock the way she assumed to know me. And that bloody well pissed me off more.

Her hand in my shirt flattened out the second before she pushed me back hard, "Because you said it, Klaus! And I may not be brilliant, but I'm smart enough to tell when someone means what they're saying to me- I've been lied to enough before to know the difference- and .it. You said you'd hurt if I was hurt, or am I quoting that wrong?"

My throat felt tight as I fought to find a way to answer her that wouldn't condemn me further, either with myself or with her, "I..I did. So?"

"So?"

She was outraged. It was adorable. Dammnit.

"So what do you want me to say about it, Sweetheart?"

She blinked, feeling derailed probably as I rendered her argument trivial. I was rather good at that.

"I want you to admit that it meant something; that I was wrong for assuming you didn't give a fuck and most of all I want you to tell me that you actually feel something too so I don't feel insane and guilty and completely STUPID for _not_ hating you!"

...

My brain temporarily stopped functioning. _Too? _Was my hearing malfunctioning or did she just yell her feelings back in my face? Conflicting reactions erupted in me at that moment; I wasn't sure if I should be relieved that this _thing _was not one-sided or even angrier because with two people in this, the bloody idiotic attachment would become even harder to break...I was also not sure if I even intended to break it. I would eventually though, I always do...

Her breathing was becoming more labored as well. I chose to ignore the glaring irony of that considering neither of us actually requires breathing.

"Well, are you going to say anything?!" She angrily blew her bangs out of her face and the silly little mannerism lit something in me- it's natural for vampires to associate any intense feeling, such as anger, with other attractions. Not to mention that grabbing her and pinning her against a wall would be so much easier than finishing this conversation. I wasn't sure if she would accept that or if it'd make her angrier on the grounds that she probably wants this conversation to finally be settled. Conversation, argument, shouting match-same thing with us.

And for the first time in a long time, I decided that my best option was to just be honest with no motives besides that I honestly did not know what to do in this situation. That's why I had avoided putting myself in situations like this for the past millennia. Then she had to come along.

"I wouldn't count on it, no."

She only continued glaring at me, "I just admitted that I care about you, like the idiot baby vampire that I probably am, and you just stand there silently? No, that's not how it's going to-"

This whole thing, the anger and passion and confusion and yelling, I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't keep the calm anymore. So I went with the only option I had left.

I rolled my eyes and growled, "Oh, shut up, love."

And with that, I grabbed the back of her neck, tangling my fingers in her soft blond tresses as I pulled her into me, her entire front molding to mine immediately like the easiest thing in the world. And I guess this was, for us. This was easy. We didn't have to use words to communicate things- which was all the better for me because she can't throw things that I say back at me this way; all the things I tell her by this means are untranslatable

She shocked me by being the one to close that last inch between us and sear her lips onto mine. She moaned when a second later I ran my tongue over her bottom lip, nibbling slightly. She gasped in surprise because I'd never asked permission before. I didn't want to think about why I did, what had had caused the change. It's a good thing then that kissing her tends to render me unable to think in complete sentences.

Her moan vibrated down through me as she obliterated all my control.

Caroline's POV

I wasn't expecting this; there was a different edge to the way he kissed me now. All the other times, he was domineering, dominant, strong, and scorching, like burning steel. I couldn't define it, but something seemed different now; maybe I was wrong, but he seemed to cling to me, keep every part of me touching him as we breathed each other's breaths that he actually seemed to need.

If what he'd accidentally said was true, than me storming into his meeting and almost getting myself killed had actually scared him. I guess it was the only reason he let his guard down long enough- even accidentally- to admit anything to me. He was shaken. I didn't want to think about what that meant for a man like Klaus- because it never happens- so I just kept my grip on his shirt tight and kept kissing him.

I pulled harder on his shirt, pressing myself flat against his chest. If I didn't know better, I'd say the sound he made in the next second was _contented. _

But then his eyes blinked open and he pulled back an inch from me, taking in a deep, unnecessary breath, "Caroline, we-"

His face was rather…angsty. There was something in his eyes that looked torn. Like he wanted to continue, but something was holding him back.

"What?" I whispered.

"I can't let myself do this," his voice was soft for once, like I'd only ever heard when he was threatening someone, but it sounded completely different from that tone. It was reverent, but tortured and his face matched his words. His head tilted slightly to the side and there was something dreamy about the look in his crystal blue eyes. He wore a sad smirk that looked ancient and before I realized what he was doing, he ran the back of his hand down the side of my face gently. Gentle. Never thought I'd use that word to describe him, but now...I didn't even know anymore.

* * *

**An:**_ Ok so I honestly don't know when the full chapter will be up. Hopefully this weekend or next week, but I'm not gonna lie and make promises my writers' block might not let me keep. I will try to get it done as soon as possible for you guys. _

_Ideas and comments are always welcome, even criticism, if it's helpful._


	8. Everything Changes

**A/n: **_Alright, I've been horrible and I feel horrible for it- throw stones at me or whatever modern punishment you see fit for not updating regularly like AT ALL. I've just been so busy (lame excuse alert), and when I wasn't, I lost all inspiration. _

_Oh and I know you all want to just get quickly to what happens after Klaus' big confession- and it is in this chapter- but first I thought it'd be fun to rewind a little and show you Caroline's POV of following Klaus. Ok maybe I just enjoy writing her thoughts too much and this might not have as much to do with the plot as it should. Hopefully you'll forgive me for being loopy, it's midnight right now. And plus, I think it's good to see both sides of how Klaroline react to each other. _

_And as always, ideas and suggestions are encouraged. _

Caroline's POV

Seriously? He thinks he can just make some kind of twisted joke out of a campy expression, wink and then run off? He can't seriously expect me to just sit in this-okay seriously beautiful- hotel room waiting for him to return like some kind of puppy, or worse, like one of his hybrids. I was going to investigate, however foolish that may be... However much I wanted to go up to the room and take a long bubble bath to maybe calm myself a bit from the _ohmygod_-ness ringing in my head that this day had induced. Or ok it was just Klaus himself that had induced it, but it's easier for me to deal with all of _this _if I stubbornly and persistently deny to myself the fact that he can affect me.

So naturally, I followed him. I ignored the fact that it might not be my best deicion because honestly if the meeting was of the safe and happy variety then it wouldn't be in the middle of the night and he wouldn't have purposely not mentioned it until the last minute. But lately I'd gotten the nagging whisper in the back of my mind saying that Klaus was going to get bored of me soon and...dispose of me the only way a man like him really knows how. I'm not being insecure or paranoid; it just makes sense. He admitted that he only brought me along- wait he kidnapped me, right, still angry about that- because I was a challenge and I unsettled him. Now that I'd let him um...yeah again, I'm not the best decision maker. Well now the challenge was obviously gone.

I'm not moping, but seriously this is Klaus, if you're not of any use to him, you normally don't live that long. And honestly, it pissed me off. I don't know what it was, but that nagging in the back of my head didn't just scare me, it upset me, made me mad. At him. Because how was I supposed to know if he even cared? I didn't want to go travelling around with someone who wouldn't give a flying fuck if I jumped off a bridge. The speculating was useless because i could never escape him- and I wasn't sure anymore if I really wanted to at all. And that was what was bugging me; if I irrationally had formed some sort of sick attachment to him and he didn't care at all...then I'd just fallen into another one of my classic Caroline Forbes situations where I'm with he wrong guy and don't notice until half way in that he was never even into me in the first place- Stefan, Matt, Tyler...I just couldn't do that again. And I was aware that even putting Klaus in that former category of guys was foolish, twisted, and sort of cringe worthy, or laugh worthy, I wasn't sure.

As I crept along the dark, cobble-stone paved roads after him in the Russian night, I felt idiotically like I was in one of those old timey spy movies I used to love. It was a horrible time to be thinking of that, but something about the cold wind hitting my face reminded me of cinematography. I bit my lip as a small vein of fear made its way into my mind- and actually, it should be a lot more than 'little'- when Klaus weaved his way farther into the seedy-looking part of the city. Ok, it's St. Petersburg, everywhere looks old and kind of creepy in a cool way, but it was cold and dark and I had no idea when he was going to stop or if he had actually noticed me following him ages ago and was leading me into some abandoned street corner to finally kill me. I know he said he didn't want to kill me, but reminder- the man has major bipolar issues.

Finally he turned onto a street that led to a large looking gothic castle at the end of the road that had high arched windows and steepled roofs slanting over different sections and columns. If I wasn't currently half-scared and half-frozen, I would've loved the building.

When we reached the end of the road, he didn't turn to the door to walk in, instead he opted to go around back and I watched intently as he found a hidden drop door in the lower section of one black, crumbling wall, and dropped through it. Oh, wait...I know I'm a vampire now, but...dropping into an unkown pit in the middle of the night? Not sure I'm okay with that. But I jumped anyway. Because I'm not girly Caroline, I'm Caroline Forbes in Russia with Klaus Mikaelson. I'm 'sweetheart' and 'love' apparently, and maybe I should just accept that...

I pushed the plaguing thoughts out of my head with a deep breath before I bent down and picked up the moldy trap door he just had, looked down once into the darkness, before closing my eyes and dropping through.

Plop. _Well, that was anticlimactic_, I thought as I stood and brushed myself off. I looked up and the moonlit black sky was visible through the trap door that was only actually like five feet or so up. I had to hunch a little as I walked and quickly realized that this was a set of underground tunnels that had probably been dug out hundreds of years ago. The smell wasn't the most pleasant, but I felt in charge of my life for once. I felt empowered because I was choosing to disobey him. In the middle of the murky tunnels, I felt vindicated, as silly as that sounds.

I had to pay close attention to not lose him in the tunnels or have myself be seen or noticed by his impeccable senses. Really, I was quite impressed with myself actually. That is, until I saw him turn to the right where a door was letting out low gold light that I assumed must be coming from torches or something. ( Or maybe they'd randomly figured out how to install electricity down here, but judging from the lack of um...decor, I'd say not.)

I walked right up to the door, but stayed outside. I'm not a total idiot. I decided to listen in on the conversation instead. From what I gathered, these men were some ancient werewolf pack, probably had something to do with what Kol had called him here for in the first place...

After fifteen minutes, I got tired of waiting and tired of the weirdly blank feeling in my stomach that notified me that what Klaus was discussing with these men- backdoor deals and hybridizing and tons of other shady immoral business- didn't bother me, or not consciously. I felt guilty for not feeling guilty or upset. How does that even work?

In an attempt to banish the stupid feelings, I decided to lash out and be reckless. I stepped into the room.

"This is who you were meeting with?"

Klaus' golden head immediately snapped around to look at me and there was some foreign emotion in his eyes that I didn't quite catch before he pushed it away, but his eyes were still wide and he was starting to glare at me. No, he doesn't get to be the mad one.

"Caroline!" His voice roared, "Get out of here!"

It was an angry and ardent plea, but he had no reason to be angry besides that I'd disobeyed him, but I always do that.

Before I could snap at him, a young, blond, scruffy werewolf stood up and glared at Klaus, "You know that leech, Mikaelson?"

_Um, excuse me, leech?!_

"Yes," Klaus bit out, his eyes glaring at me even as he stepped in front of me and blocked my view of the asshole, "Unfortunately."

"You didn't honestly expect me to stay in the room waiting on you, did you?" I glared right back at him.

His eyes immediately began boring into mine, trying to tell me something I couldn't understand, I guessed. But he looked...scared...for the first time I'd ever witnessed. And any form of fear in Klaus Mikaelson was enough to give me the message that I should run.

"Step aside, Niklaus. We must rid the Earth of her poison."

The wolf's words shocked me into a stupid paralysis.

"Caroline, do you actually want to die? Get out!"

I wasn't offended at the rude words or the tone of his voice, instead I was angry at myself for being so stupid before I was running as fast I could back to the safe hotel room where no one wanted to kill me. I should've just taken that bubble bath.

* * *

The rest of the night was a blur of strangely polite partings, yelling, and kissing, and more yelling until the last words he'd just said. It'd hurt him if I were hurt? What...but that would mean...

My head was beginning to spin. I'd spent the last week thinking that I was just being forced into being his plaything and that any feelings or anything remotely similar I'd been having towards him were ridiculous and unwarranted and...what the hell? He can't care. He's Klaus. He just doesn't do that.

"What?"

I was yet again left sounding stupid as he stared on at me with burning blue eyes.

"I," he swallowed and it was the second time ever that I'd seen that emotion in his eyes again- fear, "I didn't mean-it would just mess up the...I..."

I could only stand in the middle of my temporary bedroom, blinking up at the stuttering Original. I'd caused an Original to stutter? What world had I suddenly been transported to because it made absolutely no sense.

Klaus' POV

Why the hell had I said that? Why had I said anything? Why had I left my bedroom in the first place? Why did she have to find her way underneath my skin and why couldn't I deny it anymore? It used to be much easier to ignore than this. I wanted to believe again that it wasn't true, that I hadn't been this foolish. This is weakness, I'd perpetually drilled that into my family and myself. Now, I supposed, she was making me a hypocrite or a liar...

Damn her!

She only stared up at me, looking for answers I couldn't give and didn't want to give. Answers that I knew were there, but wished didn't exist.

"Klaus..." she stepped up to me and her cornflower blue eyes bore into mine as she stood an inch from my chest and hesitantly put a soft hand on my shoulder.

I clenched my jaw against the onslaught she caused in me, "Caroline, I told you-don't."

She stared up at me fiercely and cocked her head to the side rebelliously, "Why not? Why can't I touch you? You let me touch you before and if I remember right you actually kind of liked it."

I could tell from the sass that she was getting angry with me, but I couldn't fathom why and that was exactly why I didn't want this to happen. I couldn't do this. I couldn't do attachment or caring. That's why I dagger my family when they endanger themselves or my plans- I can't deal with difficult situations, I can't deal with people or things actually mattering to me. _What had I done? _I repeatedly asked myself.

"That's different, Caroline..."

"Stop it!"

I stepped back, feeling as if I'd just been burned by her shout and once again hating her power to affect me, "What?" I snapped.

"That. Distancing yourself. Using my name. You never do that. And I know why you're trying it now."

I glared at her; she was assuming things about me, things she didn't have a right to understand but somehow probably did.

"You don't know anything about me, _Caroline, _so stop acting like you can read me. Stop acting like what I said meant anything."

At my words, her eyes lit up with fury and she closed the distance between us again by grabbing my shirt in her fist, "Stop. Lying. To me."

Her voice was venom and her eyes were daggers and felt the effect of both, my heart cinching tight and my face tingled like I'd been slapped.

Heat ignited in my chest as I started breathing heavier and narrowing my eyes at her again, "How would you even know, darling?"

I could tell from her eyes that she knew I was charming her with stinging words to mock the way she assumed to know me. And that bloody well pissed me off more.

Her hand in my shirt flattened out the second before she pushed me back hard, "Because you said it, Klaus! And I may not be brilliant, but I'm smart enough to tell when someone means what they're saying to me- I've been lied to enough before to know the difference- and .it. You said you'd hurt if I was hurt, or am I quoting that wrong?"

My throat felt tight as I fought to find a way to answer her that wouldn't condemn me further, either with myself or with her, "I..I did. So?"

"So?"

She was outraged. It was adorable. Dammnit.

"So what do you want me to say about it, Sweetheart?"

She blinked, feeling derailed probably as I rendered her argument trivial. I was rather good at that.

"I want you to admit that it meant something; that I was wrong for assuming you didn't give a fuck and most of all I want you to tell me that you actually feel something too so I don't feel insane and guilty and completely STUPID for _not_ hating you!"

...

My brain temporarily stopped functioning. _Too? _Was my hearing malfunctioning or did she just

yell her feelings back in my face? Conflicting reactions erupted in me at that moment; I wasn't sure if I should be relieved that this _thing _was not one-sided or even angrier because with two people in this, the bloody idiotic attachment would become even harder to break...I was also not sure if I even intended to break it. I would eventually though, I always do...

Her breathing was becoming more labored as well. I chose to ignore the glaring irony of that considering neither of us actually requires breathing.

"Well, are you going to say anything?!" She angrily blew her bangs out of her face and the silly little mannerism lit something in me- it's natural for vampires to associate any intense feeling, such as anger, with other attractions. Not to mention that grabbing her and pinning her against a wall would be so much easier than finishing this conversation. I wasn't sure if she would accept that or if it'd make her angrier on the grounds that she probably wants this conversation to finally be settled. Conversation, argument, shouting match-same thing with us.

And for the first time in a long time, I decided that my best option was to just be honest with no motives besides that I honestly did not know what to do in this situation. That's why I had avoided putting myself in situations like this for the past millennia. Then she had to come along.

"I wouldn't count on it, no."

She only continued glaring at me, "I just admitted that I care about you, like the idiot baby vampire that I probably am, and you just stand there silently? No, that's not how it's going to-"

This whole thing, the anger and passion and confusion and yelling, I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't keep the calm anymore. So I went with the only option I had left.

I rolled my eyes and growled, "Oh, shut up, love."

And with that, I grabbed the back of her neck, tangling my fingers in her soft blond tresses as I pulled her into me, her entire front molding to mine immediately like the easiest thing in the world. And I guess this was, for us. This was easy. We didn't have to use words to communicate things- which was all the better for me because she can't throw things that I say back at me this way; all the things I tell her by this means are untranslatable

She shocked me by being the one to close that last inch between us and sear her lips onto mine. She moaned when a second later I ran my tongue over her bottom lip, nibbling slightly. She gasped in surprise because I'd never asked permission before. I didn't want to think about why I did, what had had caused the change. It's a good thing then that kissing her tends to render me unable to think in complete sentences.

Her moan vibrated down through me as she obliterated all my control.

Caroline's POV

I wasn't expecting this; there was a different edge to the way he kissed me now. All the other times, he was domineering, dominant, strong, and scorching, like burning steel. I couldn't define it, but something seemed different now; maybe I was wrong, but he seemed to cling to me, keep every part of me touching him as we breathed each other's breaths that he actually seemed to need.

If what he'd accidentally said was true, than me storming into his meeting and almost getting myself killed had actually scared him. I guess it was the only reason he let his guard down long enough- even accidentally- to admit anything to me. He was shaken. I didn't want to think about what that meant for a man like Klaus- because it never happens- so I just kept my grip on his shirt tight and kept kissing him.

I pulled harder on his shirt, pressing myself flat against his chest. If I didn't know better, I'd say the sound he made in the next second was _contented. _

But then his eyes blinked open and he pulled back an inch from me, taking in a deep, unnecessary breath, "Caroline, we-"

His face was rather…angsty. There was something in his eyes that looked torn. Like he wanted to continue, but something was holding him back.

"What?" I whispered.

"I can't let myself do this," his voice was soft for once, like I'd only ever heard when he was threatening someone, but it sounded completely different from that tone. It was reverent, but tortured and his face matched his words. His head tilted slightly to the side and there was something dreamy about the look in his crystal blue eyes. He wore a sad smirk that looked ancient and before I realized what he was doing, he ran the back of his hand down the side of my face gently. Gentle. Never thought I'd use that word to describe him, but now...I didn't even know anymore.

Klaus' POV

"I can't let myself do this."

Something foreign had infused its way into my chest and now it was coursing through me; the only other emotion I'd ever felt as intensely as this was anger. But…this wasn't anger. Not even close. As much as I wished it was. I wished I could break her neck and leave her here, disappear in the night. Or more satisfyingly, drink from her until she dropped. Vampire blood never normally appealed to me, but there was a pull between us that I couldn't ignore. This damn baby had ravaged my control in only a number of days and the only thing I could ever think to do about it was throw her against a wall and ravage _her_.

"…Are you going to kill me?" I'd heard that question before, but never with that tone of voice or accompanied by a face like this. She was not scared. That much I always understood about her. She never feared me when she most should. She was indignant, as if the idea of me having enough nerve to kill her after she confessed her feelings made her angry. Good. She should be angry. Because I'd considered killing her many times. I…was unable. For the first time in centuries, there was something I couldn't do. It was a strange feeling and it was suffocating me, but somehow I didn't want to breath.

"No," my own voice rang out a denial before I could give myself permission to speak. She did that. Put me on autopilot sometimes.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she tilted her head innocently at me, "But I thought I was a liability now."

I laughed. I didn't realize I was laughing until she frowned in offense.

"Why is that fucking funny?"

"Oh, sweetheart, you still have the mouth of a sailor," I leaned into her face, looking into her eyes, however foolish it may be, considering the sensations it welled within me when I did. I couldn't stand that, but I craved it. My thoughts no longer made sense.

"And you still don't answer my questions."

"I may never. Answer all of them, that is," I shook my head in disbelief at what I was about to say, "But I will never kill you. My mind has come to repel the idea."

She scoffed, "That's probably as much of an admission as I'm ever going to get it, isn't it?"

For some reason, her words made me angry. Or maybe it was her expression; that beautiful face twisted in scorn, presuming to understand me.

"Stop. Doing. That."

She sighed, obviously exasperated, "Doing what?!"

"Knowing me! Understanding! Would you just fucking STOP?!"

She did. She stopped. For once. Her eyes turned to a glare as she stood frozen still, her expression morphing to one of…hurt. I'd hurt her…I _could _hurt her? I didn't realize I held that power…It made me feel shaky in my bones.

"Why?" she asked, so quiet I almost couldn't hear, but her voice was clear and defiant. The very things I enjoy about her…how ironic.

"Because I COULD, Caroline! I COULD kill you and I SHOULD have by now! Do you not understand if you were anyone else, you would be extremely dead?!"

Her mouth dropped open silently in shock. Finally, I shock her.

"But…I'm not…" she stopped talking for a moment when she saw the anger increase on my face, before quickly adding, "I just mean that…I don't understand why I'm not, if you clearly want me to be," she sneered, masking hurt because she thought I wanted to end her life. How could she…when I just…Bloody hell, what is wrong with us?

"CAROLINE!" I roared, "I just told you! You're alive because I WANT you to be! You're alive because I WANT you!"

Adrenaline surged through me as my breaths turned to embarrassing panting, staring at her, waiting for her to react. Caring for other's reactions is not something I'm used to or enjoy.

She blinked. And had the audacity to scowl at me for my shouting. Stupid girl. Brilliant girl.

"Then what's the problem?!"

How could she not see this? She wanted a monster…that wasn't possible.

"BECAUSE I CAN'T, CAROLINE! THIS ISN'T WHAT I DO!"

"WHAT ISN'T? CARING?"

She met my shouts with just as much righteous anger.

"Yes! I can't do this with you because I already do! I already care! AND IT TERRIFIES ME."

Her eyes lit up somehow as they widened in shock, taking in my shout and instead of being angry at the decibel with which I was yelling at her, she smirked.

My fists clenched with anger at her amusement as I tried to figure out how on Earth she found this funny.

"Do I amuse you?!"

She shook her head quickly and stepped up to me, sliding her hand over my face. All my muscles froze, paralyzed from fear and confusion, anticipating her motivation for such a strange action.

"What are you doing, Caroline?" I loathed that cautious timbre in my voice, but I could recognize now that it was there. And that she was the only thing that could bring it out.

She smiled graciously at me as she looked up into my face with the blue of her eyes glowing a luminous powder blue. I briefly worried if I was hallucinating when the lights from the street lamps outside the window shone against her hair and I couldn't repress the wild idea that she was an angel sent down for me. In that moment, I felt completely at her mercy. I'd never been more afraid.

Her mood now made no sense to me. A second ago she was livid, and now she's ethereal? I had to understand what she was thinking, it felt like a part of me was trying to reach inside her mind, but my lips were unable to ask another question.

Finally, she spoke, shaking her head at me with a quiet laugh, "Klaus, breathe. Stop holding your breath. Quit listing all the reasons this is bad or a weakness for you. Don't make yourself believe I'll betray you. Just look at me, look at me and believe in me."

I couldn't move.

**A/n: **_So the end ended up being more dramatic than I originally intended. If you don't like it, I apologize. I just got over the worst writers' block of my life that was actually making me depressed. _


End file.
